Beyond the Game Over
by Author XIV
Summary: It's been 20 years since the defeat of Bowser by his nemeses Dark Bowser and Fawful. Since then, nearly every Kingdom has fallen to their dark reign and it seems the hope has disappeared from the world. But now, two Toad Town best-friends have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to finally bring back the light in the world. (Sequel AU to Bowser's Inside Story where Bowser lost.)
1. Twenty Years of History

**Here it is, 4+ years in the writing! It's still a bit surreal that I'm finally publishing this story to the site (on my 5 year anniversary here, no less!); I of course waited until this first act was written- I MEAN, until this was perfect to start posting. XD I have my beta readers to thank, and Nanowrimo for giving me the oomph to plow through. I of course have you, the reader, to thank as well for waiting so patiently.**

**I'll be quite honest: This story is entirely something different for me. I love love love love LOVE to use 3rd person limited in my works—of course informing the reader when I change perspectives—so writing this in 1st person limited REFLECTIVE (looking back years later after the story happened... I probably just invented a term whoops =P) was quite the challenge. I'm glad I could overcome that and give to you what I have here today. There are also much darker tones than my previous works; they'll all pan out for you guys eventually. Even with its differences, I'm confident in my work and I know you guys will love it. As always, reviews are encouraged. Updates are every Wednesday.  
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**DISCLAIMER: Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Bowser, and all other related characters/locations/concepts are property of Nintendo. All characters not recognized as such are the property of Author XIV, as is this story plot. This fanfiction is best viewed in dark contrast at 1/2 margins and the preset font size. This story is a work of fiction in an alternate universe (AU) and any similarities to any real life persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. A familiar background of the game "Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story," among other games, is recommended, but not required. Offensive or strong language will be used; the views and opinions expressed by each character do not reflect those of Author XIV or Nintendo.**

**Now that the legalities are out of the way, let's proceed to read! Take it away, Hope!**

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**Prologue: Twenty Years of History**

Once upon a time, there was a chance to save the world from darkness. Sadly, that chance was lost valiantly. You see, our kingdom was under attack of an evil source known as the Dark Star. I wasn't born at the time, but I've heard the stories enough times to almost recite them.

Twenty years ago, Lord Bowser, the ferocious King of the Koopas, made the mistake of letting Fawful, a notoriously genius and evil mastermind who had this syntax impediment and a fondness for food metaphors, have his way. Bowser tried teaming up with two world-famous heroes, Mario and Luigi Segale, to try and stop Fawful from awaking the Dark Star's power…but there was no hope.

In some way, Bowser accidentally swallowed the Dark Star and it took on his form. It copied his looks, his moves, everything… except his hair. I don't know, every time I hear the story they always make a point to mention the difference in hair. Oh, and Dark Bowser was mostly blue.

Apparently Fawful was a piece of cake for Bowser, but Dark Bowser posed a more powerful foe. He was just too strong for Bowser and… well, shall we say, he failed. But at least he died trying.

At least I think he's dead. No version says he's still alive.

Four years later, I was born into the world. Some said it was the only sunny day in four years, and so far it has been for sixteen years.

Half of my life went by before anything interesting happened. By that time, Dark Bowser had given Fawful his body back and they were now seeking out the neighboring kingdoms. Beanbean was first on their list. They were forcefully taken without a resistance and were now under the duo's influence.

Their next targets the year after were the Waffle Kingdom and some other part of the Mushroom Kingdom known as Rogueport. I heard that Rogueport isn't a very nice place. My point: they, too, fell easily.

Jumping to March the following year, King Peasley – and I say king because everyone who tells this story says that the last ruler died of old age or obesity or something – started up a resistance in his own kingdom. Dark Bowser took this as a threat and sent Fawful and some troops to go and fight off this resistance.

A month later, King Peasley was put under… castle arrest? – and many others who followed were jailed or killed trying to fight off Fawful's army. Unfortunately, my father was on a business trip in the Beanbean Kingdom. Though he was safe in the walls of Little Fungitown, he was executed and tried for suspicion of espionage without any hard evidence. I still have nightmares about that happening in Toad Town.

Speaking of dreams, on the night of his arrest, I had the weirdest dream. There was me sitting in a big, tall chair with plush seats and padded backrest. Then these four shadowy figures appeared hovering in front of me. I can't remember anything that they said, but I remember the voices. One of them was really burly and gruff, another was gentle and kind with a hint of regality, another sounded excited but frightened at the same time… and the fourth didn't talk.

Back to the history. During one of the months that there was nothing going on, something happened. One of Dark Bowser's loyal subjects was searching the forests and found this… block dude in some shop. He called himself Broque Monsieur and when he was relocated to the Toad Town shopping district, he easily became my favorite resident in Toad Town.

I visited his shop a lot with my friends after school, especially after hard test days. His items were so foreign, he had treats that would light your mouth up with delight, and his block kittens were (yes, were) the cutest things ever! I always asked for one, but he kept saying that they were a gift from some guy he called "Monsieur Turtle Bits". No clue who that is. Every time I ask, he changes the subject.

However, one summer day I was headed home from buying schoolbooks with money I earned from working at the library and on my way I passed his shop. It was just another grey day, so I only stayed to chat. Minutes later, there was some loud boom from the other side of the district. The next thing Broque and I saw was a bunch of nurses running by screaming in terror. I heard one scream, "BOMB!"

Panicked, I jumped behind the counter of Mr. Broque's shop and he ducked down, grabbing as many Blitties as he could. We hid with there for a few minutes just in case. After nothing else happened, I decided it was safe to come out of hiding, but Broque thought we should walk to my house to let my mom know I was all right.

Thank Grambi he did, because the next blast came from Mr. Broque's shop! The explosion was so big that it sent both of us flying to the ground. When we turned around, it was horrible seeing his shop smoldering and Mr. Broque crying at the sight of it.

Explosions started appearing all around the shops and us. All I could see was red, yellow, ash; and many Toads, Koopas, Goombas, and anyone else running away and dodging the flames. The only one who wouldn't move was Broque. I couldn't even move him by pulling him away.

He finally started moving hours after the final boom.

My mother had been worried sick about me and was crying when we walked through the door. She asked if I was all right and I said that I was, but Mr. Broque wasn't. Then I told her that his shop was one of the ones that was destroyed in the attack. It was the saddest night in our house since the night we learned that Father became involved in this silly affair.

The next day, Mr. Broque insisted that we go back to the shop and see if we could salvage anything. I agreed to volunteer and help. There wasn't much, but there were some things like a bundle of singed scratch cards, my favorite treats, only two of his beloved cats that didn't follow me home, and some small box that was wrapped up like a Christmas gift.

While we searched, he told me that this stand was where he lived. I asked how and he said that he kept a mattress and pillow stored away so he could sleep on the floor of his shop in case anyone wanted to rob it. I felt sorry for him and decided to ask my mom if he could stay with us. When I did ask, she said yes before I finished asking.

An average of two hundred Toad Town residents were killed that day in the attack. Most were medical patients, but still it was enough to suspect foul play amongst Dark Bowser and Fawful. Others, however, think it was the work of opposing forces that intended to hit Dark Bowser's Castle. We don't know; the Toad Town Intelligence Agency is still working on cracking this event.

Whatever the reason, it was enough to put both Dark Bowser's forces and everyone else on the verge of war. Brinkmanship is the term I learned in school.

But now we've caught up to the present. This is where my journey begins. Twenty years of fighting may finally come to an end here. The only problem is that it's totally dependent on me.

Hi, my name is Hope. I'm a Toad from Toad Town, and I was given the chance to right every wrong after Bowser… beyond his Game Over.


	2. Last Day Shenanigans

**Oh look, it's the story actually starting— I MEAN the next chapter! Enjoy. =D**

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**Chapter 1: Last Day Shenanigans**

"…now I want this paper due the moment you walk in after the summer holidays, is that clear?" my teacher asked. We all answered yes.

"Good. Now about tomorrow, seeing as it's the last day of school, the teachers wanted to take everyone on a special field trip." Everyone, including me, looked up when she said that.

"Yes," she continued, "A very special field trip indeed. We'll be taking a tour of Dark Bowser's Castle!"

There was not a single sound in the room. After the terrorist attack almost two years to the date, everyone wanted to have nothing to do with Dark Bowser. That included going to the castle.

Well, everyone except our teacher. She is the only person in the entire town that fully supports Dark Bowser and Fawful's reign over the kingdoms. We don't know why, and we tried to figure it out. But every time we ask her, she says something like, "Everyone's entitled to their own opinion," or, "I shouldn't have to answer to my students," and her favorite one: "Why shouldn't I?"

That last one always started a debate in our class. We learned early not to use that one to our advantage and avoid class work. Whenever we used an entire period, she'd double our homework for that night without even teaching it to us. Those first few nights were brutal.

I was the one to break the silence.

"Why?" I blurted out. I could feel everyone glaring at me when the word escaped my mouth.

She just stood there for a few seconds and then asked, "Well if that's your attitude, why don't I add ten pages to everyone's essay?"

The class protested a loud 'no'.

"Then you will go on this field trip and enjoy it. No questions asked."

Thank goodness the bell rang then. As everyone packed up, I heard her say, "Go home and get a good night's sleep. You'll need it for tomorrow. Hope, I wish to see you at my desk now."

I groaned and rolled my eyes; right then, I was talking to my best friend, Kory.

Kory was an interesting guy. He was human, but had some Koopa in him. Some people said that he is actually the nephew of Lord Bowser himself, but those were just rumors. I don't believe in them at all.

I met him when we were eight on the first day of school that year. He wasn't really liked for some reason. I stood up for him, feeling sorry for him, and since then we've become really close friends.

I told him that I'd catch up with him later and we said bye. I left my bag at my desk and waked up to the teacher.

"Hope… I have news." Oh, boy. That didn't sound good. "You've been accepted into the history advanced placement class for next year."

"That sounds like great news!" I tried my best to hold back that I knew there was some sort of a catch to her statement.

"But-" I knew it. "-your college preference. Woohoo Hooniversity. Hope, they only specialize in the study of laughter and the Mystery Blocks."

"But, Mrs. Goomley, I did my research and found that they also have the required college courses to be an actual college. They have the major I want!... or at least something like it."

"See, Hope, that's the exact realization I was hoping you'd get to. I've done my research too and saw that WooHoo just teaches about the Beanbean history; they don't cover any other history like ours for instance."

"But we share the same line of history now thanks to Dark Bow—"

"Don't address our great leaders like that!" I could feel the ice in that comment; her comment was that cold.

I quickly apologized and continued my reasoning. "We both share the same history now because of… the incident that happened twenty years ago."

"Yes, that may be true, but they cover the Beanbean side of it. They don't even touch what happened in say… Rogueport. They may say that they were involved in a revolt, but that's because they joined up with the Beanbean Kingdom along with another kingdom they will only slightly mention."

I sighed irritably. She had a point I couldn't argue.

"Besides, wouldn't you want to go to U Goom? It's much closer and it deals with the Mushroom Kingdom's history."

"Mrs. Goomley, I want to study in a history class that can cover all the kingdoms dating back to, like, even before the original Power Stars from Peach's- excuse me, formerly Peach's Castle. How did that affect the other kingdoms? Did it at all and why?"

"Darling, no one has answered that question—"

"And why should I let location bother me? Maybe I want to study abroad. Oh, and one more thing; if I go to U Goom, I'd be the only Toad there!"

"It's the same deal with WooHoo. And besides, there are also Koopas that attend too." She countered as if she was trying to make a point.

"And that's the thing, because it isn't! Thousands of Toads apply every year and hundreds get accepted along with hundreds of Beanish."

"So it's okay to go to school with Beanish, but not with Goombas and Koopas who were the assumed vermin of the Mushroom Kingdom until just recently. Is that what you're implying?"

"No! I was just saying that it'd be awkward being the only Toad there."

There was a long pause. I could tell she was angry at me for almost suggesting what she feared, but she leaned back in her wheelie chair and folded her arms.

Finally she spoke, "Hope, I think it best you go now. Get some rest for tomorrow and think about our chat a little bit over the summer. I just want you to do what's best for you."

"Thanks, Mrs. G." I whispered as I walked back to my desk. Apparently she heard me.

"Oh, don't thank me. You gotta get home pretty soon; your mom must get pretty worried sick about you if you don't get home fast enough thanks to what happened two years ago."

"Oh, it's fine. Kory's probably there now waiting for me and he probably also told my mom I was talking to you."

I never in a million years would have guessed what she said next. The room was quiet as I put my backpack on and headed for the door.

"I've been watching you two all year and think you're the cutest couple in the class."

I was one foot out the door and one foot in and all I could do was turn slowly and stare at my teacher confused. Teachers shouldn't know that type of thing; they should be busy with our papers and setting up the schedule for the next week – year in her case.

Or maybe she didn't have anything better to do, so she thought she could just watch everyone awkwardly throughout the year and we just happened to be on top of her list of people to secretly stalk.

"Hope?" she called out to me. She was trying her best to pull me out of the trance I was in after she had said what she said about Kory and me. I blinked a few times and looked at her.

"Yes?"

"You must-" "-NOT GO TO THE CASTLE TOMORROW!"

I couldn't believe what I had heard. First, she said not to go on the field trip tomorrow. Second, it wasn't even her voice! The voice that said that sounded chipper and… well, just not like Mrs. Goomley.

"Can you say that again; I think I heard something different."

"Oh, no problem. What I said was that you should feel special hanging out with the only human left in Toad Town."

"Yeah, I definitely heard the wrong thing. Wait… did I say that out loud?" I realized too late.

"You did, Hope. Are you feeling all right? Maybe you shouldn't go to the castle tomorrow."

That time, it was definitely Mrs. Goomley.

"Maybe you're right." I agreed. Sighing, I breathed, "Well, I better go now and rest up."

"Don't even think about coming tomorrow! I'm marking you sick because I actually know you are. See you in a few months!"

I waved good-bye, but felt the urge to tell her to do the same for Kory if he didn't show up. For whatever reason, I didn't have to; she told me as if she had read my mind and thought to inform me that she'd do just that. She didn't tell me why, though she gave me a look saying that I should already know why.

I shrugged it off and grinned, starting the short walk to where Kory waited for me.

**~*-Beyond-*~**

"Whoa, whoa, wait. You don't get to go on the field trip tomorrow because you faked hearing a voice in front of Mrs. Goomley?"

"Kory, I didn't fake it! …but yeah, that's how it happened."

I ended up explaining what happened with Mrs. Goomley to Kory as we took a little stroll through Toad Town.

Every day after school let out, Kory and I would go on a walk – more like mini adventures – since I can remember. Some days we'd go to the Outskirts, other days we'd go to the edge of Forever Forest and dare each other to get closer, and sometimes we'd go on wacky, hair-brained trips all across town.

Today I was headed for the abandoned library and Kory happened to tag along. The library used to be the pride and glory of West Toad Town until the Shopping District plan was approved. I had a job there when I was slightly younger and when it was still open. However when the shops finally opened up, that vast collection of past knowledge and imagination beyond belief shut down along with my Librarian Apprenticeship.

Two years ago, in the bombings, the library was one of the few buildings in West Toad Town left—well, minimally scathed. The columns are cracked and the windows are busted and there's a hole in the right wall big enough for someone to crawl inside, but that's all. No one ever enters the building (it's locked in the front) except for us. Who do you think locked the door?

We were passing the Clinic, just three blocks away from the library, on our way westward as Kory asked what the voice said to me. I answered him plainly, but couldn't shake this shiver that felt like tiny Wrigglers crawling up and down my spine. Apparently my parents were two of the victims to the Blorb infestation all those years ago. My mother said that there was no chance of survival until the Heroes produced the cure. They weren't the first to contract it, but they were the first to start "going under" if you know what I mean.

Thankfully the Heroes arrived just in time to save everyone including my parents. I have them to thank that I was even born! That's just one of the many reasons I admire those brothers so.

A few minutes of chitchat later and we made it.

"Why are we here again?" Kory gaped at the building like he always did before we broke in. I can't say I blame him; the building is an engineering marvel.

"Because," I started, "I've been reading this ancient book in here and I wanna finish it today. It's some book from seventy years ago by the author Kylie Koopa and I've become a fan of her work! She was a journalist before she started her book writing and—"

I could have gone on all day about how wonderful Kylie was, but Kory interrupted thankfully. "We better go in so you can just show me."

I led him around back, like I always do when he tags along for a trip to the library, to a thicket of bushes. I looked around once, twice, thrice before pulling it away to make sure no one was watching. A hole hid behind my makeshift camouflage.

"Why don't we just use the back door again?" Kory asked as I stepped through the small gap.

"Then everyone can get in! And I swore to myself that I would keep everyone out of the library to protect it after it shut down for good."

"Yeah, but a library is for everyone." Our confab started echoing as Kory entered through the side. The ceiling stands forty feet in height supported by pillars and bookshelves and a second floor.

"Everyone swore off the library when the designs for the Shopping District were approved, so there! My actions are justified."

"But that gives you no right to keep all of this literature to yourself. You're no different from Fawful and Dark Bowser when it comes to hording the library."

Human logic baffles me.

"Fine, when those two die and I become queen, I'll fix up the library and open it up to the public wearing Princess Peach's ceremonial pink dress," I retorted, sticking my tongue out.

"Anyway," he chuckled, "where exactly is your book?"

"Second floor, Historical Non-Fiction, 'Koo,' Fungicide: The Epic Battle for the Mushroom Kingdom… I put it on one of the carts for easier access."

"Well you certainly are the resourceful one today." Kory started heading in the wrong direction.

"Wrong way, silly! The stairs are this way!" I called, echoing in time before he got lost in the Children's Section. I know this library like the back of my hand. I caught a hint of blush before he came running back to me.

"Lead the way, your greatness. I'll follow you anywhere. I'll follow you to the ends of the Mushroom World. I'll—!"

"Stop it!" I can't handle him when he teases me, especially with my height. Don't get me started on that.

We laughed on our way up the stairs and down the upper hallway until we reached my special reading desk.

"I'm gonna put my backpack down here, so don't let me forget it." Kory told me.

I really wasn't paying attention, but asked him a question about it anyway. "Why, what's in it?"

"It's got my permission form, for one thing. I haven't gotten it in yet…"

"Kory!" I almost yelped. "That was due last week! How come… oh."

His home situation isn't…perfect, shall we say. He's not really allowed to do anything unless his parents let him or I take him for a "walk" somewhere in town. It's because they believe the suspicious rumors spreading around town that he actually is Bowser's nephew and want to save him from, I dunno, the evils of the world or some crud. Whenever I said it was a bunch of bunk in front of them, they literally threw me out of the house and banned me from Kory for a week.

The whole affair is just silly. If I were him, I would have moved out of there a looooong time ago and moved in with me.

"Yeah, my parents don't really want me going near DB's Castle so you can imagine."

"Well thank goodness Mrs. Goomley let you off the hook."

He laughed as I browsed the cart I left my book on. "Ha ha. W-When did she do that?"

"Right as I left today," I answered without missing a beat or looking back at him.

"Oh." Silence fell over both of us as I began to read.

I must have read for hours without a break. I remember having so little to read before, but that turned out to be wrong. I didn't notice the sun setting or Kory playing with his 3DS and then having to go find an outlet to plug it in. I didn't even remember that Kory took off his backpack.

"Hey, Hope, it's getting pretty late. Shouldn't we head out?" Kory asked, finally breaking our silence.

"Almost done…!" I answered with a mere paragraph left.

"Well hurry up. It's getting drafty in here and I'm getting a little chilled."

"Done!" I exclaimed with pride and a sigh. Wow, that was one long book.

"Okay, that's great, let's go already!" he called from downstairs. I could imagine that he started his fake shivering to emphasize his desire to leave. I giggled at the thought and ran over to him downstairs by our hole.

**~*-Beyond-*~**

"Thank you for having me for dinner, Mrs. T." Kory thanked after forking down the last bits of dinner from his plate.

"My pleasure! You know you're always welcome here."

"Of course. A friend of Hope's is a friend of ours," added Mr. Broque in his French accent. "And especially in these times you've got to keep your friends close."

"By the way," my mother started. "What kept you from getting home on time?—"

"I think this is an excellent time for pie!" proclaimed Mr. Broque, just in time too. "Come with me, Kory. You can help out."

Kory and Mr. Broque left the table to fetch the delectable treats while my mother continued to grill me about my day.

"You seem to have avoided the subject young lady," she said with that certain smile that told me I wouldn't get away with this secret. "I must say you're becoming quite the queen of deception."

"What flavor do you think they'll bring out?"

"Hope, where were you this evening?" Her voice was stern, matching the expression on her face.

I hated when she wouldn't let me get away with anything, and that was usually all the time. I didn't want to worry her by telling her I spent the rest of the day in a dilapidated building ready to crumble at any moment – and of course I would never word it like that! – but still, she's my mother…

"Who wants some Peachy Peach pie?" announced Mr. Broque as he burst through the archway. "Sadly it's only leftover from a few nights ago so it's reheated."

"I do!" I suddenly blurted out.

"Since when did you like leftovers?" Kory asked as he popped his head out from the kitchen.

"Siiiiiiiiiince now, silly!" I was so grateful to have pie in front of me, I started cramming it in my mouth just to avoid my mom's question. Gobble after gobble after gobble; I couldn't stop myself! The looks I got made me feel like a pig but I didn't care.

Sadly I ran out of pie in less than two minutes.

"Now you were saying?" My mother asked again in her sweetly inquisitive voice.

"Theoldabandonedlibrary." I slurred after a moment of pause.

"The what?"

"She wanted to finish a book after school so we—" Kory didn't even have to finish because my mom knew exactly how he would finish that statement. My summer was officially ruined.

"The library AGAIN? Hope Rosaline Toadington, I'm ashamed. You've gone too far this time, what with going to that-that- you know that's restricted property!" I could feel her voice rising with each stressed accent. "I've told you time and time again not to go over there! What if the ceiling collapsed?! You know how I felt when you didn't get home immediately during that attack!"

She paused for a moment to catch her breath. Her rosy cheeks puffed in and out with each strain. I slunk down my chair, fearing the worst for me. I've had enough of you! You're going to Gran-Gran's house for the entire summer! Or I'm revoking my trust in you; I'm picking you up from school next year! Or worse…

"You're grounded for the summer, young lady! That means you tell me where you're going and I make sure you get there, I'm reinstating your curfew, I'm having Mr. Broque lock up his sweets—"

"What?!" I blurted.

"—And you can forget your birthday party at the Karting Grand Prix next month. And I'm timing Kory's visits."

"But Mrs. T…"

"I'm sorry Kory, but this is a punishment. Hopefully this lesson will finally sink in. You can have the rest of the night if you want though."

A mixture of moping and unfriendliness filled the air the next few minutes, as everyone remained silent trying to absorb how grave this situation was. I don't see how I did anything wrong… I didn't—never get caught. No one even wants to go near that place anymore.

Sigh…

"Maybe now is a good time to start getting ready for bed, Hope," Mr. Broque announced to finally break the silence. "Kory can do…whatever Kory usually does, I guess. Help you, maybe? I dunno."

"I'll do just that, sir."

We scampered off upstairs to my room. My private sanctuary was a name that fit better. My mom never invaded my privacy (except when I was grounded) so it's the perfect place to talk, play games, hang out; you get the idea.

It certainly looked cozy from an outsider's perspective: bunk bed, with the bed on top and a desk underneath; various posters of karters and actors strewn all over the walls; a small television with a Wii console hooked up next to it; too many Wii games lying around on the carpet; a dresser with a Lil' Oink piggy bank on top and a lamp next to it… too much detail?

I started up my Wii to play my bootlegged copy of Mario Kart Wii and vent a little by p'wning the 150CC mirror computers when Kory started talking.

"Dude, this sucks! Grounded the entire summer for reading. How does that make you feel?"

"You can't even imagine." I mumbled sarcastically. I got back up from sitting on the floor to start rummaging for the Wii Wheel.

"She seemed pretty mad at you this time. Is she feeling well?"

"No. She's just finally coming to grips that she'll lose me in a year, so she's trying to keep me to herself before that can happen. Just a theory. Where is that stupid Wii Wheel?!"

"Hope, calm down. I think you just need to get to bed and sleep off your anger. I mean, who knows? Maybe your mom'll have a change of heart in the morning."

I stopped my panicked search for a moment as I thought about his logic. Morning. In the morning, I'd be sleeping in while everyone goes on the field trip, which meant I'd be getting more sleep. He'd be sleeping in too because he wouldn't be going too. But everyone else would have to get up early, pack their backpacks-

I swear my heart skipped several beats after I remembered Kory's backpack.

"Oh my Grambi, I totally forgot and I'm so sorry, please don't kill me!" I rushed my words as I ran into him for… I can't even say exactly what I did or why, but I hugged him tightly.

"Hope, calm down! Take a deep breath and tell me what's wrong."

"You-your backpack!" I stammered. "We left it in the library! I'm so sorry…"

I looked up at him and I could see it in his face that he thought that we were idiots for leaving it there. Instead of saying anything right away, he hugged me closer. I started feeling calmer as he gently rubbed my back.

"Don't blame yourself," he consoled. "We just have to get it back now is all."

"But my mom's expecting me in bed soon… and I can't go anywhere now that I'm grounded."

At that devastating realization, we pushed apart and stared at each other. There was only one way to go out at this time of night.

"Sneak out," we said simultaneously.


	3. A Midnight Walk to Remember

**Chapter 2: A Midnight Walk to Remember**

"…_In other news, the President of Isle Delfino is making a surprise visit to the Mushroom Kingdom to discuss what appear to be top secret matters with Fawful and Dark Bowser. His plane should touchdown minutes before the local school's field trip arrives at the gates if weather permits. Let's hope our smog problem doesn't interfere. And speaking of weather…_"

We could hear the loudness of the news from my mother's television as we left it behind for the library. Before climbing out of my bedroom window, I had to talk to my mother and make her believe that I was going to bed.

"See you in the morning," she had said callously.

I then lied that Kory already left. She didn't acknowledge it, which meant she did.

But now we were running as fast as we could to the library in hope we would get back before my mom knew I was out. We really had to book it since it was a good five blocks away uphill. At least it was a cool night instead of the humid ones we were having lately.

Three blocks away, through the Shopping District, we stopped near the Clinic to take a breather.

"Whew… I didn't know going to the library would be this much work."

"Yeah." I started walking away from him to get away from the Clinic. It gave me more spooks and chills at night. "But who knew sneaking out would be so—"

In that train wreck of thought, I found something that would freak anyone else but us out at night. Well okay, I didn't find it… I tripped over it.

"WAAAH!"

Kory turned right around to me in horror. "Hope! Are you all right?"

I guess he wasn't expecting an answer after I fell on my face. I knew immediately that I wasn't unconscious cause I could see him running over to me, showing concern with every footfall.

Then he stopped. Maybe he discovered what I discovered?

"Hope… there's a pipe back here." I heard him cautiously stepping over the rubble I fell over and reached a hand out to me. Slowly reaching for him, I turned over onto my side to get a better look at it. I couldn't make out the colour in the dark, but I perceived it wasn't an ordinary green pipe.

Kory grunted as he hoisted me back on my feet.

"What should we do?" I asked him. Surely we could go down the pipe and go exploring, but we also had to remember that we were already on a mission. Sidetracking would lead to backtracking…

"I think we should come back later, Kory," was what I voiced.

"How often do you find a pipe you don't know where it goes? This- I mean- You- …oh, alright."

He loosened his grip on my hand. I would have smiled up at him if my legs didn't let out on me.

"OW!" I winced as I fell on my made-bad-by-my-fall wrists. Kory dove down to scoop me up off the ground. "Argh," I grunted, "Weak ankles…"

"Looks like you won't be walking for a bit," he teased. "Thank Grambi we're right next to the Clinic."

I froze. My face locked up. I couldn't even think. The Clinic?!

Unfortunately I was helpless at the time or else I would've gone straight back to my mother, regardless the consequences! All I could do was sigh.

Literally. That's all I could do as he carried me inside and propped me on one of the leftover Blorb cots.

Finally, I mustered enough strength to at least start some sort of small talk.

"So where do you think that pipe goes?"

"Overthere only knows, ya know? Maybe it leads somewhere far away from here. Ooo, here's a guess: 'the sun-drenched, tropical paradise of Isle Delfino!'?"

I giggled. "Don't get my hopes up, mister."

"Or what if it's the luxurious city of Poshley Heights?"

"Kory—"

"No no no, how about…uh… Oh, I got it! It's our personal portal to the moon so we don't have to go all the way to Fahr Outpost to use their cannon!"

"Kory! Just stop."

If there are a few things about Kory, it's that he's got an over-active imagination and that he's persistent on guessing the right thing until he's right.

"Sorry. Guess I went there again?" He started blushing under the fluorescent lights, accentuating a kind of… cuteness I hadn't seen since we were, like, eight or something.

I giggled again. "If it makes you feel better, we can go explorating after we get your bag back. How does that sound?"

"That'd be great. Only one thing bothers me."

"Hmm? What's that?"

"You can't walk."

"Kory Koopa! I so can too walk! Here, I'll prove it to you." It only happened with a great deal of effort and pain, but hey! What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger.

"Wow, you sure put me in my place." He flashed a smile again. I swear I almost melted.

"Yep, now let's go get that bag of yours."

The rest of our walk uphill didn't result in any excitement at all. We chatted, laughed, woke up the neighbors with our laughing fit, ran away before they could spot us, the usual. By the time we got to the library, we were so glad to take a break after all that running.

But something was off about the library… I couldn't put my finger on it.

I didn't think about it too long; Kory dragged me to our usual entrance. There was something weird about that too, though. I remember covering it back up after we left. But now it was totally exposed as if someone discovered our- my secret.

Even so, I crawled in. After all, the odds were astronomical of something like that happening. Except inside, we were greeted by something we hadn't expected. Something I hadn't seen since the plans for the Shopping District were approved.

The power was on.

"Hope—"

"I know, Kory. The power is back on."

I dunno who, when, or HOW the power turned back on as I tried countless times to reset the breakers and other stuff. Underwhere, I even took electrician classes and even that didn't help! And now some new Brainiac decides to show me up in my own terrain. I was so flabbergasted and angry that only Kory's humor brought me back.

"At least we can see where we go now." He had that right seeing as we didn't bother taking flashlights.

"And thank goodness I know where we were."

I led us upstairs back to the cart where I left Fungicide: The Epic Battle for the Mushroom Kingdom. We got there okay, but when we did get there…

"Dude, where's my bag?! I left it right here!" He angrily gestured to the spot where we last saw it. I felt really bad about this now, but I couldn't do anything about it. I watched helplessly as he desperately tore the area apart.

It felt like a good ten minutes had passed when he decided to quit. It hurt to see him like this and I tried to console him.

"I'm really sorry I forgot it."

"No, Hope, it's not your fault. I'm the one that shouldn't have taken it off in the first place."

"Kory, it is my fault because you thought you could trust me with the simple task of reminding you not to forget your backpack and you can't even do that anymore."

"Stop punishing yourself over this. I should have realized that you might not remember after getting lost in that book."

Don't you love when you don't wanna share blame? Yeah, me neither. So after noticing that our voices only grew as we argued, and that the mystery intruder could possibly hear every word we were saying, I just let him have the guilt to not scare our mole away.

"You win," I sighed as I sat myself on the cold, marble flooring. I stared awkwardly up at him as he gazed off into the distance.

Then our mope turned into hope. Hidden in some aisle in the library, Kory's phone started ringing.

"Oh, Grambi! It's my parents!" he exclaimed as he recognized the ring tone he set for them. Oh, by the way, it's the Caramelldansen to remind him of how annoying his parents are, in case you were wondering.

Just as quickly as it came on, the supposed ninja turned it off and started running away. Kory turned to me in the hope that I could hear which corridor the assailant ran off into. And thankfully, his footsteps echoed throughout the library.

"He's down that way. C'mon!" We rushed down the side of the open-faced floor that looked down on the first floor. I guess he caught on to us because I heard him change direction for the stairs… but that was a mistake since Kory and I were sprinting right to them. When we could see his faint silhouetted outline from far away, all of us froze.

"We know you're there!" I yelled to him. Of course we did! We could see him right there… _Smart one_, I thought as I mentally facepalmed. "We know you're the one who found our secret entrance and that you turned the power back on!"

"You stole my backpack, you sonova—"

I elbowed him hard before he could yell out anything he regretted.

"My friend and I won't do any harm if you just come out of the shadows and return what isn't yours. Can we make a truce?"

Obviously not, for he dashed into one of the aisles.

"Man, why do they always run?" Kory groaned before we pursued after him again. As we reached the end of the aisle we ran through, I spotted him darting away from us into the apocalypse-fiction section. Yes, there are that many doomsday books to fill an entire section.

As if chasing him weren't enough, he started throwing books off the shelves to hamper our progress. So not only did we have to run, but we had to dodge falling books, too. Splendid.

When we finally reached the end of the hallway, a dead end, I was pretty confident that we had him cornered. He seemed to realize this, too, and hung his head in what looked like shame.

"Alright! I concede." His voice gave the impression that he was too old to be in that fit condition. Yet, though he sounded elderly, it also boasted a somewhat authoritative tone… and a not too foreign accent. As he came closer to us, emerging under the light, I was shocked at what I saw.

An eighty-year-old Toad – who looked like he wasn't a day past forty – stood poised, being held up by his own two feet and a wooden cane. The crown at the top of his cane matched his mushroom cap: light brown mixed with a darker brown. His violet vest and smart bowtie added to the majesty that his handsome, white 'stache already exuded. And being an elderly Toad, I wasn't at all surprised to see him wearing glasses on the bridge of his nose.

"Huff, I say. Now what is this all about?" Our prisoner looked puzzled.

"Uh," I started, "we believe that you have a, uh, backpack that belongs to us."

"You mean this thing?" he asked, holding out Kory's King Koopa backpack.

"Yes, that's mine, you ungrateful—"

"Kory!" I spat. "Yes, that's his backpack."

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry. I was under the impression that I perused the library alone. When I saw this backpack, I thought it was ancient trash. It was only when I heard you two entering and heard that cell phone go off that I had stolen it. I tried returning it to you, but your tall friend here," he looked up to Kory, "became hostile."

"Well excuuuuuse me—" Kory almost blurted out.

"If you say 'Princess' I swear to Grambi… harrumph! Pardon me for not introducing myself, but I'd rather do it in a less empty environment."

"Well," I suggested, "There's Club Wii over by the docks… It's open 24/7."

"What happened to the glory that was Club 64? Has that much changed in twenty years?"

Twenty years? That's how long ago our last chance at freedom failed. I started wondering about our new 'friend' and how trustworthy he could be. I thought that we'd learn more about him if we let him have his words.

"They only renamed the club; it's the same I suppose. My mom works there, so I get to go in the back and look at all the pictures and stuff."

"Then it's settled," Kory declared. "We'll meet you at Club Wii or 64 or whatever it is now."

"I'd rather you two accompany me. Twenty years is a long time for the entire town to change."

So that's how we got back Kory's backpack. A chase through the library in search of a dumbfounded, elderly Toad who we now escorted to my mom's work. Our walk was so awkward that Kory and I didn't even whisper back and forth about the matter.

The docks were a few blocks down from the library, downhill of course. The only thing that ever went on down there was the annual town-wide party celebrating the anniversary of Dark Bowser's overthrowing of the four Heroes. Those were rarely enjoyable, but the past few ones I have to admit were okay (only because they finally hired entertainment). Anyway, that being said, it was actually the smartest place to talk in private. Because…I assumed he wanted that.

After minutes of walking, I could hear the soothing sound of waves crashing under the boardwalks. The refreshing breezes the harbor brought in from the sea replenished any energy I lost from the past hour or two.

This was a sacred place. Not in the sense that Dark Bowser and Fawful couldn't touch it – we've got an embargo hanging over our heads and no ships are daring enough to ferry anyone out – but in the sense that I could come here whenever I wanted and they couldn't touch ME. This harbor means so much to me and no one has any idea how much.

I read somewhere that some secrets should remain secret so the value of, say, a sacred place stays that way. It said that when you tell someone, that place loses the special feeling you felt for it. I haven't even talked about this with myself out loud. I embrace it, silently.

Oh, gosh! Sorry for rambling on and on. I've got a tendency to reminisce and ponder at the most inappropriate times. So back to Club Wii, we walked in and found ourselves a private booth towards the back of the club. A waiter came up to us and offered us a menu to share, which we declined politely. After he left, we slowly resumed our conversation from the library.

"Ah," sighed our third wheel, "just like old times. Did you know that this is the very booth that—"

"Save it, Gramps," interrupted Kory. To me, this was a little out of character for him but I did nothing. "You wanted to come here to talk. We're here, so… uh, talk I guess."

"Alas, you're right. I didn't mean to avoid the subject. As I was saying back in the library, my name is Toadsworth. I am- er, more like I was Princess Toadstool Peach's loyal steward twenty years ago. As you can see, I fear I've become unemployed and… princess-less for lack of a more sufficient word. And who would you youngsters be?"

"My name is Kory and this is my friend, Hope." I waved at him with a bright, cheery grin.

"Toadsworth? I think I read about you before." I suddenly added, "You were, like, besties with the Mario Bros. Right?"

I saw Kory cringe at the mention of the famous brothers, probably thinking, Hope, you know better than to mention those guys in public! And then he'd think about all of the 'What if…'s and get all worried. He did this even when we were talking in the privacy of my room! Oh, sometimes I wish he wouldn't worry as much.

"Oh, yes. I had the pleasure of accompanying them on more than one occasion."

"Then where have you been for the past twenty years? Why did you come out of hiding only now? Are—"

I had a million questions for an outsider of his class (and I bet Kory had a million and one!) but he stopped me mid-sentence with the raise of his hand.

"I bet you'd like to hear the story of how Toad Town lost against those two evils whom I presume run this once fair land now? The real story?" We could only nod, thirsty for his unknown tale.

"It all began when Dark Bowser engaged in combat with the ruthless Koopa King, Bowser… the original that the Dark version copied. All went well at the start and it seemed an early victory for him as he punched the Dark Star right out of the evil cur. Well, that proved little effect as the villain started vacuuming it back up."

"Hold up." It was Kory who needed some clarification. "How did Dark Bowser get the power to vacuum up some Star?"

"Lad, I don't question logic anymore; especially after what I've been through in all my years at the princess' side. Now where was I?"

"Vacuuming the Dark Star back up," I said without missing a beat.

"Right right right. So as Dark Bowser was attempting to vacuum his power up, Bowser started fighting back by using his vacuuming power – don't ask – and beating his dark counterpart to the punch. Then it was time for the Masters Mario and Luigi to fight off the evil Star. I watched on the sidelines—"

"Sorry to interrupt Mr. Toadsworth, but I was just thinking… how did Mario and Luigi get to battle the Dark Star if Bowser vacuumed it up? And how were you able to watch?"

"An excellent point I forgot to mention. Thank you dear. Now when this whole affair began, a horrible disease started spreading called the Blorbs. I'm sure your parents mentioned it to you before?"

"Yeah, they did," I managed to get out before slightly cringing.

"Good, I don't have to explain that then. Well, the princess called an emergency meeting at her castle to address the matter. All the important Mushroom Kingdom officials met in earnest. Even… that burly brute, Bowser." He started trailing off topic, saying that he "ruined everything from the beginning" and stuff.

"I'm sorry, do forgive me. Long story short, Master Mario trounced Bowser so we could get back to our meeting, and while he was away I assume Bowser found a strange mushroom giving him the ability to vacuum everything up because he later returned to the meeting and sucked everyone up."

"Whoa!" Kory gaped. "That is so cool!"

"Son, the idea of it sounds cool," lectured Toadsworth. "You try staying in Bowser's insides for twenty years and tell me if it's 'cool' or not."

"Guys, focus. We were in the middle of the true story of how the kingdom fell, remember?"

"Pardon me again, it's been so long since I had anyone new to talk to. The Dark Star had some tricky moves up its sleeves. Thankfully the Masters dodged most of them. But the one that did them in was this strange move that turned the background greyscale; it involved a gigantic arrow that swung around high in the air, then suddenly dropping down on the ground."

"It caught them by surprise, dealing damage of course—"

"My dear, you catch on quick!" Toadsworth chuckled. "But the thing that caught them most off guard was that the Dark Star launched the arrow at an unsuspecting Luigi. That's when I knew that Mario was not going to be able to save the kingdom this time." I saw him start to tear up when he got to this part of the story. I even felt the entire club fall in a hush as they eavesdropped on our conversation.

"Well, what happened?" Kory finally mustered up. I could tell even he was holding back tears.

"Well… they found themselves in another castle after Master Mario fell too." At that point, everyone in the club turned to face us now. "It was only a matter of time before Dark Bowser took Master Bowser and Princess Peach's lives too. Of course, I don't know if he killed Peach or not but I'm positive of Master Bowser's death."

Now even I was on the verge of crying alongside of everyone else. Luvbi Nimbi, I didn't know our nation's past was so bittersweet! That story convinced me that they needed to be overthrown after all the grief they put us, the common-people they're supposed to be protecting as monarch figureheads, in. I would do anything to help take them out.

But before that, I still had some unanswered questions to ask him as the club went back to their conversations.

"So Bowser died twenty years ago. That much is certain." I said. "But how did you escape, and why twenty years later when all was said and done?"

"To answer your first question, I was wandering around the upper half of Bowser's decaying innards when I stumbled upon a pipe room. So many pipes in so many colours, you wouldn't have believed even if you saw for yourselves!" Toadsworth realized he started digressing yet again.

"Anyway, I tried one of the pipes, but quickly noticed that it took two to activate. I found a long-time friend, Toadbert, and we escaped this afternoon. I guess we kind of made a little mess in the new- er, rather the old Shopping District. We parted soon after that; he was saying something about visiting old friends in Lady Bow's Mansion in the Forever Forest or something."

"What's in the Forever Forest, other than that, that would interest anyone?" I asked genuinely.

"My dear, you need to brush up on your history. And not just involving the Masters Mario, Luigi, and Bowser, I mean other familiar characters too. Take, er… oh, never mind. I can tell you later."

"Okay, Gramps, you answered Hope's first question, but what about why now?"

"No reason. Now, can I interest you in some refreshments?"

**~*-Beyond-*~**

Toadsworth really enjoyed being free of the jail he seemed trapped in. Our casual banter made him laugh at everything we said. And he even got to tell stories that made us laugh. I think the laughter actually healed him more than anything in the world.

Eventually, the club cleared out and we were the only four (if you include the bartender) left in the building. Maybe even the last four awake in all of Toad Town, who knows? But it was getting pretty late, and I definitely had to get home. Toadsworth recognized that it was getting late as well.

"Four thirty-eight in the morning already?" he exclaimed, glancing up at the clock. "My goodness, I think it's high time you two got home."

"Where will you go?" I asked. "You just got back after twenty years of being gone. You don't know where anything is anymore."

"Hey Hope," Kory started, "why don't you take him home with you? Then he can stay at your house until he finds someplace to go."

"Kory—"

"My dear boy, that's a wonderful idea! I'm certainly glad I finally warmed up to you. With your permission Miss Hope, may I stay with you?"

I didn't want to promise him anything I couldn't. I mean, I don't exactly run a rest home at my house; only Monsieur Broque has that luxury. But on the other hand, I didn't want to deny an 80-year-old Toad.

"I can't promise anything," I finally said, "but I'll see what I can do."

We all cheered at my decision and began the however many block trek back to my house clear on the other side of town.

It was a chilly night for me. I don't know about the others, but I started shivering by the time we passed the library. I've always had this thing in cold weather. No, this goes beyond just complaining that it's under 72 degrees and sunny; I can't tolerate anything under 80. I think my internal heating system is out of whack. I think it's because the Blorbs left some weird side effects that defected me or something. I dunno, just a theory.

Kory saw me shivering and lent me his coat from his backpack. That was really sweet of him… even though it's, like, the five hundredth time he's done that for me. Whatevs, doesn't matter.

As we passed through the ruined Shopping District, Toadsworth finally started up our previous conversation again.

"I know I passed through here earlier, but I was in so much of a hurry that I didn't even see how ruined this place was…" I heard his voice get a little louder and started to worry. "Who would do something like this? And _why_?"

"Toadsworth, shhh!" I hushed. "We don't want anyone waking up."

"Miss Hope, please at least tell me what wrath ravished this project. I implore you!"

"Later… right now, we need to get back to my house pronto."

"I can tell him on the way, Hope. You've got enough to worry about."

Kory, thank you so much for saving me the trouble of wasting time by blabbing on.

A few minutes later and we were already back on my block. Kory felt guilty for passing up his house, not even to let his paranoid parents know that he was all right. But he understood that Toadsworth's safety came first right now. I turned to him to smile.

As I walked up the steps to my front door, the sun started to rise. I could see it trying to break through all the purple smog that the Dark Star emanated, and you know, for the first time I thought it looked picturesque. It felt symbolic in some way. Odd how that figures out to be.

Today was a new day.


	4. Hungry for Dreams

**I hope you all are enjoying the story so far! Do you guys love it, dislike certain things, want to talk about it and apply it to your love for orange peel/slicer combination tools? I'd love to hear from you guys in the comments. I'm reeeally curious! =D Thanks again for reading my story, and enjoy this chapter.**

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**Chapter 3: Hungry for Dreams**

Even though today was a new day, the problem I faced was even living through the sunrise. For who should be standing behind the front door, at six o'clock in the morning ready for work, but my fuming mother and disappointed adult-friend ready to see my mother off.

"_**HOPE ROSALINE TOADINGTON!**_ YOU ARE IN **SOOO** MUCH TROUBLE YOUNG LADY!"

In retrospect, I shouldn't have been all too surprised that her yell would scare off birds or wake up the neighbors on the block. I shouldn't even have been shocked at the volume she yelled at.

Looking back now, could you blame her?

"You have no idea how worried she's been," Mr. Broque said with a wink.

"I lost sleep waiting for you all night. Not even one phone call to tell me where you were or…" She sighed one of those 'I'm disappointed in you' sighs. "And you were grounded, that's what gets me the most. You _deliberately_ left when I told you no!"

"Look, mom, I'm—"

"No," she snapped. "No, no I'm not gonna do this anymore. You have got to learn to be a little more responsible! How can I trust you if you can't even be that?"

"Mrs. T, she is responsible." I'm really glad Kory stood up for me, but not even he could change my mom.

"Look, I don't have time to argue about this, I'm now late for work. We'll talk about this later." She turned to Mr. Broque. "Can you watch over her please?"

"Sorry, madame, but you remember that today was the day I was going shopping for you."

I do believe my luck started changing then, I really do.

"Well, who is gonna patrol this ungrateful—"

"Pardon me, madam." I spun my head around and saw something I hoped not to reveal until after my mom calmed down. Yes, Toadsworth was speaking to my mother. "I hear that you're in desperate need of a babysitter?"

He shoved his way in front of me, proving his existence. My mother's face was redder than Fawful's when he's high on fury. Oh my Grambi, if I recorded this it would have turned into a meme, I kid you not!

"Who the Underwhere are you? ! Has my kid tangled you up in this mess?"

"Absolutely not, madam. I found them on my own free will."

"And you said you could babysit?" Slowly, I saw my mother's rage disappear… or it morphed into approval.

"Oh, yes! I've had many years looking after—"

"That's great. You're hired. I've gotta go. Bye." And with that, she stormed off to her 10-coin-an-hour job.

"Ah, oui, I as well. Au revoir! And do try to have fun."

"Bye, Mr. Broque!" Kory shouted back.

"Oh, Kory! I almost forgot! Your parents called our house and left a message for you! It's on ze island!"

Kory confirmed he heard Mr. Broque's message as our threesome headed inside to find out what we were going to do.

"Well, kids, this fine lady's mother put me in charge. So, what to do now?"

I walked into the den and plopped on the couch face-first. I was beat! Oh, yeah, really after such a long night out and about… end sarcasm. But seriously, all I wanted to do was sleep. I didn't care about anything. I didn't care about chores, I didn't care about the fact it was Saturday, I didn't care about that field trip I wasn't even going on anymore, I didn't care about my mom's seething rage. Nothing.

To quote very wise words, 'Dear Diary, Mood: Apathetic.'

"I don't care," I mumbled through the couch cushion.

"Well," started Toadsworth, "How about we pay Old Peach's Castle a visit?"

_That_ I cared about. Why? Ask yourself this. Would you, after a number of years and given the fact that everything you know is now a lie, waltz up to a demonic ruler's castle and barge right in for a spot of tea and to catch up on the 'state of things'? Okay how about another question: Are you out of your mind?!

Don't answer that.

Luckily, Kory stood up to the idea instead of me.

"How come?" Yes, his only offense was two words.

"We seem to be lacking anything better to do. I could make you work around the house…" Yes, please! "But there's the matter of me not knowing what needs to be done around here."

"We could visit my parents?" Kory innocently suggested. Another bad idea to add to the list. They just kept going on and on about what to do… it was as if neither of them were tired a teensy bit! I don't understand men sometimes. Or humans, but I told you about that already.

Soon I felt the pleasures of sleep take me away from my body. I wasn't fully asleep yet, I could still hear those two arguing about what to go do. I never had any interest in their conversation… I kept drifting off.

"Let us ask what Hope wants to do." Toadsworth finally asked. But by the time they asked me, I was more asleep than Tubba Blubba.

**~*-Beyond-*~**

The sun.

A cloudless blue sky.

A cool summer's breeze blowing through a luscious green meadow.

This is where my dream started off. I ran with a giant grin on my face. I had no care in the world. I was free.

Kory was there, too. He had to catch up to me, though; being tall and all, he caught up to me lickety split. He was as happy as I was.

The air was clear; clearer than it's ever been here in Toad Town.

Up ahead, Toadsworth was sitting on a picnic blanket with food prepared for all of us under the shade of a large Goomnut tree. We talked, laughed, and simply enjoyed each other's company.

A flash.

I floated in a black void alone. I tried to speak, but my echo garbled up my speech. Suddenly, four apparitions appeared in front of me. They seemed so familiar… as if I had another dream with them before. Except this time I could partially see what they look like.

"Hope, you must save the kingdom," the woman dressed in a pink dressed said. I could see the expression on her face was pure sincerity.

The other three men – two mustachioed humans and a large, red-haired Koopa – agreed with a wholehearted nod.

Another flash.

Kory and I stood in some weird other dimension. The walls, and even the floor, were glowing an eerie iridescent glow. The room even felt it was giving off a pulse.

What was more disturbing was what stood in front of us: the embodiment of the Dark Star. It looked like a giant black bug with three legs, arms, and an antenna with the Dark Star's purple star insignia on it. Even stranger was that Fawful's goofy grin and swirly glasses stared right at us.

In the blink of the eye, the colour changing walls and floor turned black-and-white and the bug-like villain created the largest arrow I ever saw. Carefully, it took aim at Kory…

And fired.

Kory's eyes were wide open, mouth agape. Death faced him head on and he couldn't move. He lost the strength to move out of the way.

And there I was on the sidelines watching him… also frozen.

Impact.

**~*-Beyond-*~**

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" I screamed as I jolted upright, still on the couch. Kory and Toadsworth were at the kitchen island now, sitting on barstools, and I saw that Kory almost fell out of his because I probably startled him so much; it's actually funny because Toadsworth looked unfazed.

Outside, I could hear birds screeching and flapping their wings as they flew out of the trees they likely sat in (I saw them through one of the windows). I felt bad for them since this wasn't the first time today that this happened.

"Is everything all right, Ms. Hope?" Toadsworth asked calmly. I breathed for a few seconds to calm myself down before answering him.

"Yeah… yeah. Just… Just a bad dream, that's all."

"Well, I'm glad you're awake, Hope." I recognized that Kory was trying to be nice, but I could tell that even he knew he was failing. "Oh, and we've decided what we're going to go do this afternoon!"

"Afternoon? But isn't that hours away?" I asked.

"My dear, you were sound asleep in your 'nap' as it were for a good seven hours. It's now one o'clock."

Yikes, I remember thinking. One o'clock in the afternoon? And my dream felt really short, too. However, I didn't linger on that thought for too much longer because that's when my stomach rumbled.

"Sounds like someone's hungry," Kory teased. "Since Mr. Toadsworth hasn't been around here for quite some time, why don't we eat out? Maybe something on the way to our destination?"

"Quite a splendid idea, Kory!" he exclaimed in his cute accent. "Although, before we go, you may want to clean yourself up Hope."

"Yeah, you were sweatin' up a storm while you were napping!"

That's exactly what I wanted to hear from my best guy friend. Rolling my eyes and with an annoyed sigh, I trudged upstairs to take a shower. When I got upstairs, I found I couldn't really argue with them because, well… they were right. I felt my forehead and it was dripping with sweat! It must have been a cold sweat, because I didn't feel feverish.

I was in and out of the shower faster than I knew it, and then I quickly changed into my casual wear blue with silver lining vest on top of my purple sweater. Now, when I turned to leave my room I stopped for a moment to look back at it. I had this strange feeling that this was the last time I would ever see my room. I don't know what brought up that thought, but I'm so glad that I did stop and stare.

Even to this day, I cannot say whether what I saw was real or if I doublethinked it. I saw two younger versions of Kory and me from the day that we met. I know that only because that was the day I accidentally knocked him over into my dresser after trying to give him a hug. My young self giggled despite the fact I gave him a 3-second concussion. Young Kory got up and plopped himself on my bed, backside down and started laughing too.

We were so carefree back then… We were too young to know what Dark Bowser and Fawful were doing to the land. And then we grew up; school got harder and politics entered our lives. But I'll never forget all the other fun times and all the kart races we had in that room.

Getting over my premonition and wave of nostalgia, I rejoined my friends downstairs. Not without first instinctively running to my Lil' Oink bank and collecting all the coins in it. It was all part of that weird feeling I had that I still can't explain. In total, it ended up to be around 150 coins. I was in a hurry, so I didn't really take my time to count every coin.

"So, where are we going to eat? I'm starving!" I exclaimed, bounding down the stairs.

"I thought we'd go over to Mihn T's place, if that's okay with you Hope."

"Of course it is!"

"Pardon my intrusion, but who is Mihn T. and what happened to Tayce?"

"Oh, that's right. You haven't heard yet…" Kory started. "Well, Mihn took on apprenticeship when we were really young and Tayce was out shopping the day of the bombing. She didn't make it, and ever since then, Mihn has been the town's local go-to cook."

"But she's very good!" I defended immediately. "She's actually just as good as Ms. Tayce T, I must say!"

"Well, Grambi rest her poor soul, I suppose," Toadsworth muttered. "At least she's back with her husband and making cakes for him again."

Kory and I looked at each other for a second, confused at his statement. Nevertheless, we were out and about in no time! On our way, I actually panicked for a second, and asked Toadsworth what if my mom came home. He reassured me saying that he left a note on the refrigerator that told her everything she might want to know.

To get to her house, we had to walk east a few blocks and then turn left north. It was quite an easy walk seeing as she's the house on the corner where we turn north. It was also convenient that it was Tayce's old house.

The bell on her door chimed as we walked in. Instantly, we were hit with the wafting smell of something she was already cooking. She always liked to experiment with old recipes and she loved to make her own. It was always a surprise if she used an old, unaltered recipe of Tayce's. Sadly, she could never perfect her world-famous cake recipe…

"Hello! I'll be right down!" She also loved to multitask, so seeing her at the oven cooking a meal all the way through was another rarity.

She came running down the stairs putting on her black-rimmed glasses, which really brought out the green in her cap. She was also wearing an orange lace apron with nothing but a pocket in the centre, her usual and favourite accessory.

"Oh, Hope and Kory, what a surprise!" she squealed on the middle of the stairs. "And who is your elderly friend, if I may ask? He looks like he could use a good cup of Koopa's Tea."

"Astounding that she knows my favourite beverage…"

"This is our friend, Toadsworth. He's new and we thought we'd show him around." At the best of times, Kory's a great actor. I just hope one day he doesn't take it too far.

"Ah, well, welcome to Toad Town, Mr. Toadsworth. So sorry you could enjoy it only in its worst hours. Tell me, since you have much wisdom and have obviously traveled far and wide, do you remember a time when Toad Town wasn't so… purple and, er, hazy?"

"I'm afraid that we don't have time for idle chit-chat today, Mihn," Kory said. "We just came in for some Yoshi Cookies or some other sweet."

"I think I have a spare Melon or two around here somewhere. Yes… You, Hope?"

"I'd like Fresh Juice and Spicy Pasta, please," I said with a smile.

"And you, Toadsworth?" Mihn asked.

"Oh, Overthere, it's been so long since I've had any quality food. Er… do you know the recipe for Fried Shroom?"

"Sure, any Mushroom. But they're hard to come by these days… how about some Spicy Soup? I have plenty of Fire Flowers in case I can't start my oven or some rogue tries to break in at night."

"That sounds marvelous."

"And how would you like your tea: Turtley Leaf or Koopa Leaf?"

"Koopa, please."

"Lovely," she smiled. "Now, since this is your first time here, you get your food for free! How awesome is that?"

"Perfect because I left my money at home… huff!"

I stifled a giggle and I could tell Kory was trying to as well.

"And-and since we're with him—"

"Oh, no Kory. You've tried this before and the answer is still no." She walked over to her oven and started prepping our food.

"Do make yourselves at home! I may be a while, so don't feel bad to take a mint out of the candy dish."

Her mints are simply divine… though even they don't compare to Monsieur Broque's foreign candies. Her mints are homemade – actually it was her first successful recipe independent of Tayce's help. Of course she's never told anyone because of it, and I respect her for it.

"'In case some rogue tries to break in'? What on earth does she mean?" Toadsworth asked as we sat on the couch in the other room. "Toad Town has always been a peaceful Mecca for all who come to live here!"

"Well, that was before the whole Dark Bowser and Fawful incident I told you about last night."

"That's fair, but how about the Mushroom shortage? Why on earth is the _Mushroom_ Kingdom out of _Mushrooms_?"

He took a moment to stop and think about the possible reasons why there would be no Mushrooms while we're under half the rule of a Beanish dictator.

"It's that Fawful fellow, isn't it?" He finally concluded.

"Yeah…"

"Truth be told, this is not the first time we have had trouble with the little guy."

"I think I remember reading about that in the library," I quipped. "Wasn't he with some evil lady named Guffawlette or something?"

"No, no. Her name was Cackletta. Admirable attempt, I must say."

Wow, why did I get that wrong? Ever since I decided to attend college at WooHoo University, I had spent lots of my spare time to researching the history and culture of the BeanBean Kingdom. And I hadn't told anyone this… ever, but those coins I was saving up were going to go toward a tour package. It would have included airline fare (round-trip!), hotel fees, food, and everything else.

I hope one day I get to go.

"…and that's when we discovered Fawful was insane. In that one moment, I have never seen anyone else—"

Mihn interrupted Toadsworth's story by telling us that our food was ready.

"Thank you, Mihn!" I cheered. As we reentered the kitchen, I noticed that she turned on the radio.

"I hope you don't mind that I turned the radio on. It's just that NPR is covering the president's visit to the castle and I wanted to hear what the president does."

"President?" Toadsworth asked innocently.

"The President of Isle Delfino. He randomly decided the other day that he should visit our leaders. He hasn't said why—actually, he hasn't spoken to anyone since then."

"Have they said anything about it yet? Y'know… the radio?"

"Not yet… it's just commercials so far because I just turned it on. Anyway, please! Chow down or else the food will get cold and spoil into Mistakes."

And chow we did. This was definitely a treat and we all enjoyed it. Like I said before, her cooking definitely comes up to Tayce's quality of food. My pasta was seasoned the perfect amount of spicy and the juice tasted so fresh like a hand squeezed glass of ripened lemonade. I could tell that she made Toadsworth's tea the perfect drinking temperature and his soup wasn't too spicy for his delicate taste buds. And Kory… well, he was finished before all of us.

"_Welcome back, and for those joining us we're currently discussing the political suicide that Isle Delfino's president—mind you, the only free leader left in the world—is making by trying to talk with Dark Bowser. By now, everyone should also know that Fawful is away on official business in Rogueport doing his official 'duties' and whatever those entail._"

"Oh, it sounds like they'll be talking soon," Mihn said, trying to shush our slurping and munching.

"_That's right, Bill, and I fear that his suicide goes even deeper as he hasn't even touched down on the tarmac yet!_"

"_Wait, you're saying that the guy who wanted this whole arrangement in the first place doesn't even have the decency to arrive on time?_"

"_Who's to say it's his fault—hold on! One of our newscasters on the scene is confirming that the plane just landed and is being taxied to the gate. It may be only a few more minutes before we all finally learn just what this is about._"

"_Well, I guess with all the excitement and preparations, we'll go to a commercial break._"

"Augh!" Mihn groaned. "Not another one!"

"Goodness! Had I known about all of this excitement occurring at Peach's castle today I would have suggested that we order our food to go!"

I stared at Toadsworth in disbelief of what I heard him say. Peach's castle, hurry up, food to go? It's almost as if he was implying that that's where we were headed. If that was the case, then we'd have the awkward experience of bumping into Mrs. Goomley and the rest of our class after she specifically told me and Kory not to bother showing up.

Quickly, and carefully, I started building up a valid argument that would work, wouldn't be too blunt, and one he couldn't argue.

"You can't just go waltzing into the castle!" I blurted out. As they all stared at me like I was crazy, I felt I had, regrettably, been too strong.

"Why not? I've lived there for my whole life. I feel I have a right to be let back in."

"And besides, if he can't, then we can always regroup with our class, right?"

I didn't think it was possible, but they deflated my argument faster than a punctured beach ball. Yes, I've been told that that's a lame analogy, but it works!

"So you guys are leaving soon? Well, you'll have to pay for the two meals…" Mihn frowned when she said that. She never liked collecting money for her gift, but ever since a mandate that said that all persons providing anything to residents of Toad Town had to charge for it (and most of those proceeds went directly to Dark Bowser and Fawful), she reluctantly did. This is also why she gives out a meal free to newcomers: Because they're not residents yet!

If there's anything she loves to do aside from cooking and creating, it's finding loopholes.

"But I can't, I haven't any coins…"

"That's okay, Kory. I knew this would come in handy." I fished out however many coins she asked for. Then we said our good-byes and thank yous and we were out back into the chaos known as our world.

"I believe we keep heading north provided they haven't moved the castle during my absence, correct?"

"Absolutely."

On our way north, we passed by the Post Office. Toadsworth made a comment about some old postal worker that delivered all the mail and wondered whether or not he'd recognize him.

"You mean Parakarry? I doubt it now," Kory said matter-of-factly.

"And why do you say that?"

"Well, a few years ago, DB and Fawful got awful tired of having their mail lost so they arrested him for tampering with the mail ironically enough."

"How horrid!" he exclaimed.

"What's worse is that they locked him up in the same cell of their dungeon where they keep all the dangerous murderers and vandals."

"That's even more absurd! The castle doesn't have dungeons! Sewers, sure! But not a dungeon!" He stopped in the middle of his tracks and I turned back to look at him. "My Grambi, Hope. I can't believe what they've already done to this fair land. I pray that they haven't ruined any other part of my world…"

To be perfectly frank, I completely forgot they did that and wondered how in the world Kory remembered. And I can't say I could sympathize with him; I never felt what if feels like to leave for a while and come back to have everything changed—Underwhere, I haven't even been outside of Toad Town! I don't even know what it's like to travel!

What I could do, however, was hold him up as we continued our walk to the castle gates. As we made it through, I could see our class at the foot of the steps to the front door, the motorcade that drove the Delphinian President to the castle, and Dark Bowser addressing both parties.


	5. Tour Crashing

**This is a somewhat shorter chapter, but it gets the action of the story accelerating finally. I hope that's a good trade-off for you guys! As always, enjoy and please feel free to leave any feedback.**

* * *

**Chapter 4: Tour Crashing**

If there's one thing you should know about Dark Bowser is that he's loud. We could hear him all the way across the lawn right at the gate.

"Students! Comrades. Welcome to the castle. See this visitation as a treat. We do not usually allow outsiders in, so be on your best behaviour and don't break anything. Mr. President, please follow me to the war room—Oh, that's a figure of speech and I apologize; I meant to say my private meeting room—at the top of the steps."

They all followed him through the daunting double-doors obediently.

"If we run, we can still catch up with the group!" Kory exclaimed as he started dashing across the lawn. "Well, c'mon!" he called back to us.

"Toadsworth, are you up for a little jog?" I asked, turning to him. I only asked this because even though he's a sprightly Toad, he is still a little elderly and the thought of him doing all of this exhausting exercise scared me.

"Are you kidding? Last one there is a Dried Shroom!" As he started running, I could hear him chortling.

That was a Cheep-Cheep thing of him to do.

"Wait up!" I called after them. When I started running, both were already halfway across the lawn. Running was never my strong point. At one point I thought I had an excuse, what with barely having any legs and all, but Toadsworth proved me wrong that afternoon. I made a mental note after I caught up to them to ask how Toadsworth got so fast.

The doors open by themselves and we entered through. I couldn't believe my eyes. The interior looked so regal. Purple and blue adorned the walls, the carpet, the pillars… even some of the tapestries hanging up. The symbol for the Dark Star was also strewn over every surface possible. It was even on the polished red ceiling (I guess Fawful got to pick what colour the ceiling was painted).

What bothered me most was that it all looked so new. In most of the books I read and in every Toad's testimonial, they all said the castle was wrecked. How did they get a labour force—or even a money supply—big enough to make any progress on a project this massive?

My thoughts were quickly dispelled, as it seemed we interrupted everyone by walking in. They all stared at us; Mrs. Goomley, my classmates, and even Dark Bowser and the President of Isle Delfino.

"What business do you have here?" demanded Dark Bowser in a booming voice.

"Hope? Kory? What in Overthere's name are you doing here? I specifically gave you two the day to rest from your sickness." I've known Mrs. Goomley throughout my high school career thus far, and this was the first time I ever heard her sound startled. I guess she feared embarrassment in front of her idol.

Dark Bowser turned to Mrs. Goomley and asked, "Are you responsible for these children?"

"Well, in a manner yes. But not today! I—" She never finished her sentence.

"If you are responsible for these children, I see fit that you take them along, despite any ailment you observed whenever you did so. I don't see what the big deal is; they're already here."

"Yes, Your Highness." She curtseyed and allowed us to join the small group.

"Hold on," piped the president. "Who is the Toad with the brown spots? He seems…vaguely familiar for some odd reason."

"He's…uh…a foreign exchange student. Yeah!" Kory lied.

"From where?" Dark Bowser asked, raising a single eyebrow.

I could tell we were heading into dangerous territory now. No thanks to Kory, we were now lying through our teeth to the Supreme Ruler of most of the World and if we didn't satisfy his confusion, well OFF WITH OUR HEADS! Or so the phrase goes. I cringe whenever I tell this next part.

"Flipside!" "Yoshi's Island!" "Rose Town!" _Oh, no!_ I thought. _We're so dead!_

"Well, which is it?"

"Well, you know how it is, always traveling," Toadsworth quickly said, "it feels as if they all become home to me, so I never have a straight answer. And those places my friends mentioned? I told them all about my exploits there, so they naturally thought I lived there."

I think the sweat I so profusely produced during my nap was quickly forming on my forehead again. I looked up at Kory, gritting his teeth in hope that Dark Bowser would believe us.

"Very well," He finally said. "Humor me first. Will you remind me where Rose Town is again? There are so many places on the map, I can hardly keep track of them all sometimes."

"Next to the Forest Maze, of course," Toadsworth answered, keeping the momentum of the conversation afloat and his eye contact with Dark Bowser.

"Thank you," he said, bowing his head. Turning, he continued speaking to his palm tree-headed, blue companion, "Satisfied, Mr. President?"

"I dunno…" he sighed, "I guess I am for now."

"Then without further intrusions, let us away to my private offices. One would not want the contents of our meeting to slip into the hands of the media until the proper time."

"Of course not, Your Highness."

It felt so weird, having my first encounter with the big bad wolf running our country's operations be the nicest one. Let me assure you that this would be our only nice encounter with him. But I hope you understand what I'm getting at. Mean, tyrannical menace accepting our story with a calm composure and not the slightest trace of malice? I guess it was because he didn't know what Kory, Toadsworth, and I were about to do while in his castle walls or because he was on his best behaviour for the representative of Isle Delfino.

So Toadsworth was allowed into our tour group (after a minor Hizza fit between Mrs. Goomley and Dark Bowser). After a few minutes of the class getting to know Toadsworth better, and after Dark Bowser and the president headed up the stairs leading to the higher floors of the castle, we finally got to see the rest of the castle.

In all honesty, it was pretty amazing. The gardens may have screamed 'big ego' because of his topiary mosaics of himself and Fawful scattered throughout, but the variety of plants and Power-Ups growing here left me wanting to go back to the library to research them all. They were so fascinating!

Next on our list of stops was his personal library. However small it may have been, there were undiscovered parts of our past kept locked away from the world in this highly maintained wooden array of bookcases. Kory shot me a warning look when I tried to take one of the well-kept volumes; I sheepishly put it back, blushing and ashamed of what I almost did. We were allowed some time to read, so I suppose that worked out. I learned a small bit about the plants in the garden, which made me even happier.

Finally, after the boring bits like the bedroom and the bathroom and this pointless room and that useless annex, we finally arrived outside the room where intense debates and new laws happen.

"We were supposed to go in for a quick look around," Mrs. Goomley said, "but since the president of Isle Delfino is here, that's sorta cancelled. I suppose that's the end of the tour, so if we'll all regroup downstairs where we first entered, then we…" her voice became lost as we stayed behind for a moment outside of this historic room.

"Aww, I really wanted to go in." Kory complained.

"I'm miffed that there isn't a little shop to go to. I always love a good little shop…" Toadsworth mused out loud.

As we started walking down the many stairs, we heard a thud from behind us; had something happened to the president—or better yet Dark Bowser?

"Did you guys hear that?" I asked. They said no at first, but when it happened again they changed their minds.

"Just what is going on in there?" Toadsworth asked. We all wheeled around and fought for a good spot at the keyhole. Toadsworth won that short battle.

"_Tell me what you know! Where's the real president?_" Dark Bowser's muffled, yet loud voice yelled.

"_I'm telling you I don't know. I was only sent on his behalf—AAAH_!" Another great thud. Toadsworth told us later that Dark Bowser had punched the imposter to the ground.

"_You better start talking. Do you know what the penalty for treason is?_"

"_Please, no! I was sent so that we may figure out a peaceful way to coexist!_"

"_THEN WHY ISN'T THE REAL PRESIDENT HERE? ANSWER ME!_" This time it was a harsh whump that Toadsworth confirmed as a hearty kick to the stomach. No scream; I guess the air was knocked out of him.

After a few moments of wheezing, the imposter finally spoke again.

"_They… they will come for you… She… will conquer… You b…best watch out._"

"_Well, that won't happen since you remembered who that elderly Toad is earlier in our meeting. Thank you for the forewarning._" And with a low growl, he started breathing a heavy fire on the impostor. Watching this reminded me exactly why I hated Dark Bowser down to his guts.

"Oh, Grambi." Toadsworth quivered. "I do believe I have put you all in such terrible danger. I may have even put Toad Town in grave peril."

"That poor Pianta. Wherever the real president is, I sure hope he knows what his humble servant went through to get this message across."

That's where I got the crazy idea that sparked the powder keg of this adventure. This idea stemmed beyond just the president, mind you. I read in certain periodicals during my time at the library of certain rebel groups existed and were 'thwarted' by our 'great leaders'.

"What if we go deliver a message to all the leaders? Y'know, that it's finally time to dethrone Dark Bowser and Fawful once and for all?"

The two boys stared blankly at me.

"Well are you going to let this fine Pianta's death be in vain? C'mon, we just watched someone die. Are we going to take this lightly?" I noticed my voice was rising, but I couldn't control that minute detail in the heat of the moment. "No! I say no! We can't… not like this!"

"You're crazy, Hope. How do you suppose we do this? And whom do we talk to? These articles you're mentioning must be years old."

"We have to try, Kory. If not for the future of the world, then—"

_Creeeeeak_ went the door. A chill ran down my entire body and wouldn't leave. I hesitantly turned around, bug-eyed and a frown that would have touched the floor, to see Dark Bowser looking down on all three of us with the same blank expression Kory and Toadsworth had seconds before. Reaching for a cell phone in his pocket (wherever it was… don't ask me), he speed-dialed Fawful.

"Fawful, this is Dark Bowser. Be on the lookout for anything suspicious in New Rogueport. An old foe has resurfaced." Icy pause. "No, no. It's not a rebel group…yet. It's something much stronger than that if given the chance to grow. One more thing: Find President Antapi stat." A shorter pause. "No, I'll tell you about it later."

He hung up the phone, and I swear I learned how to sprint a full marathon in the five or so minutes we ran away from that dreaded castle and away from the iron clutches of our new enemy who no doubt alerted first the media and then the border patrols of our existence.


	6. Dodgy Day

**Chapter 5: Dodgy Day**

In retrospect it probably wasn't the smartest move, but we bolted back to my house in a panicked frenzy. We didn't know what else to do! Dark Bowser, the one with the power to end games in this current society, had probably heard everything I had said aloud; I had unknowingly put all three of us at war with many of the countries that he controlled.

"Shit! What do we do now?" I wailed as I paced back and forth, almost wearing a groove in the floor.

"Maybe we can wait it out here?" Kory suggested.

"Are you crazy? We can't wait it out here; the TTIA might have a lead on us and come directly here!"

"Well, miss, I don't see you spouting out ideas."

"Is that really necessary, Toadsworth?! I mean, think! Where can we go? Rogueport is out, Isle Delfino is out, only those with special Visas can get in or out of the Beanbean Kingdom, the Waffle Kingdom is too far away, no one's been to Sarasaland in ages…"

"Hope, what you need is to calm down," Kory finally interrupted. He pulled me out of my path and sat me down on the couch. Reaching for the TV remote, he said, "Let's just watch some nice television, okay?"

Toadsworth, getting the gist of what Kory was trying to do, followed along and encouraged it. I finally gave in after a few seconds of silence. At first it was a little soothing watching the commercials of whatever channel was on. But then…

"_We interrupt your regularly scheduled broadcast for this breaking news report!_" The TV blared. I forgot my mom left it on TNN; I felt very nervous again needless to say.

"_We're live on the scene at Dark Bowser's castle where reports of a murder took place earlier this afternoon. Our one and only Dark Bowser called it in not a half hour ago and in a state of frenzy. Here is a clip from the 911 call._"

The words flashed on screen as they were said, making me cringe even more. I guess it was his turn to lie about us to everyone's faces.

"_As evidenced by the phone call, it's clear that these criminals murdered the only free leader left in our modern era. Yes, that's right, President Antapi is dead. So far, no traces of his body have been found but it is assured that he is dead. Citizens are highly advised to stay indoors and to lock their doors and stay away from windows. These tips could save you if these murderers decide to strike again. Reporting live from Dark Bowser's castle, this is Newsy T. for TNN._"

"_Thank you Newsy, and in addition to who is dead we have a rough report on the identity. Two teenagers, one Toad and one Human, and an elderly Toad with brown spots that goes by the name of Toadsworth. Historians are crying foul at this because they say that A) he would never do such a thing and B) he's been missing for the past twenty years. If you have any infor—_"

Kory clicked off the television as we all continued to stare at the screen in disbelief. Our stiff tensions filled the already uncomfortable air we breathed. We were all doing our best to calm ourselves from what we just heard. After a few moments, I finally spoke up.

"I bet Mrs. Goomley already called in about us."

"We won't have much time." Kory followed. "The most important thing right now is to protect you, Toadsworth."

"Me? I've been naught but the catalyst in all this. Why would you do this?"

"Do you want to spend the rest of your life in a dungeon that you never knew existed?"

"Well, I see your point now Master Kory. Thank you."

"I think I have an idea that'll get us out of here before the TTIA comes over…" I said. I then dashed for my nearest closet and got the loosest clothes out of it I could find in the span of thirty seconds.

**~*-Beyond-*~**

"This is the TTIA! We've got you surrounded," yelled the squad leader through a megaphone. Onlookers started gathering behind and started mumbling about things like "Is this where those wretches live?" or "I can't believe Lucy T's daughter would do such a thing!" and "After what she did to her this morning, I'm not surprised she went over the deep end," as a response. All of those comments were maddening.

After a minute or so of silence from both, the new crowd and the original squad outside the house, the leader motioned for two to approach the door. One of them started counting down from three and when all his fingers had been used up, the door came flying off its hinges into our entry hallway. There were a few screams from the crowd, but other than that it was just silent anticipation.

Thankfully Kory, Toadsworth, and I were safe and sound hidden in the crowd. I'm grateful for reading up on the Toads from Dry Dry Outpost, making the costumes much easier to prepare; I ripped up some old shirts and pants and wrapped them around our caps. Kory was much harder to disguise, however. I don't know when I got one, but I gave him a basketball jersey, a pair of shorts, and a spare cap to hide his messy red hair. I still can't believe that those fit him so well.

"Brilliant thinking on your part, Miss Hope," Toadsworth whispered over to me. "I do say you've bought us some more time."

"Yeah, and thanks for carrying my regular clothes and backpack," Kory whispered. I nodded in acknowledgement, reviewing in my head how I hid those so perfectly. I somehow found time enough to construct a makeshift knapsack big enough for Kory's clothes and that spiky backpack. I worried that he'd have holes where he wouldn't want them.

"We've gotta go somewhere where we can be safe." I whispered back to them. Slowly we nudged our way out of the crowd and outside of the block. I already had the idea to head over to the library since no one ever goes there, so I led us over in that direction.

On our way over there, a large crowd was gathered in the Shopping District… particularly outside of the Clinic.

"What's going on?" I asked a random Koopa.

"Huh?" He turned around to face us. "Oh, haven't you heard? Dark Bowser is giving a speech in front of the old abandoned library. Somethin' about not restin' 'til the guilty party is captured. I dunno. I'm too far away to hear."

"The library is three blocks away! How did he get a crowd this big?" I asked him.

"It's Dark Bowser. How do you expect him not to? You from out of town or somethin'?"

"Yes. We're from Dry Dry Outpost," I quickly recited.

"Oh. I guess that explains your turbans and stuff. Welcome, I guess." He turned around just in time for the crowd to exclaim in one voice "NO!"

"Well, now what do we do?" I asked, turning to face Kory and Toadsworth.

"There is… one more place we can go." I was surprised Toadsworth spoke up, even if it was reluctant. "If you recall, I mentioned a pipe here in the Shopping District."

"Yeah… Hey, didn't you trip over a pipe last night?" Kory asked, careful not to say my name. I gasped when I remembered that moment. Of course! The random orange pipe blocked by years of rubble, Toadsworth mentioning coming out of a pipe after so many years of hiding, it all made sense.

"We've got to get to that pipe pronto." I excitedly said. We rushed over to the Clinic, accidentally bumping into a few people now and again, hoping that our only sanctuary was not adulterated by any means. Thank the Stars that this was the case. We all climbed up onto the weight sensitive platform blocking the tube and we were lowered down.

When we resurfaced, we were in a strange, dark room composed of padded walls and floors. When I stepped off, it squished beneath my feet.

"Eww, what did I step in?" I asked no one in particular.

"Lady and gentleman, welcome to Bowser's… well, insides for lack of a better word."

Kory and I looked at each other and instantly gagged. Soon after, we were feeling thankful instead of ungratefully making fun of our environment.

"Any reason why the lights are out, Toadsworth?" Kory asked, after we started walking to somewhere Toadsworth was leading us to.

"My best guess is that Bowser is, well, dead. Amazing how preserved he has stayed all these years."

"I guess that explains the stench as well…" Kory added, holding his nose.

"How did we get in here in the first place?" I asked.

"Remember when I told you about Bowser finding the ability to vacuum up things? Well, I suppose he found it in a forest and started vacuuming things up there and among those things were various pipes from all over the Mushroom World."

"What makes you say that?" I further asked him, passing all kinds of trees and shrubberies and other various pipes without even noticing at the time.

He looked at me funny and said, "Just a hunch," and chuckled to himself.

"Are you sure no one will notice us?"

"Sir, not one person discovered me hiding out in here for twenty years. Rest assured that we will be safe until the dead of night when we can start our daring escape."

"Wait, we're not staying here for another twenty years?"

Toadsworth stopped in his tracks and turned to us with a heavy expression on his worried face.

"I've been thinking about what you said in Dark Bowser's castle, Hope, and I only now realize that you are correct in trying something that daring. Over my years of watching over fair Princess Peach I only now realize that I wanted to stay away from interfering with foreign affairs. All I wanted was the Princess' safety and I dare say I obsessed over this.

"But what good does that do in a crisis such as this? Already I have endangered the lives of so many by emerging from the depths of history. The world has become a darker place since I've been away and I cannot let that happen any further. I know the Princess would want me to. So I propose that we wade out our wanted status until all the residents go to bed and then we can go to our next destination."

"And where is that?"

"I believe I shall pay old Lady Bow and her friends a visit. Toadbert should be at her mansion by now, so that will be an added bonus."

We continued walking when he finished talking, but I couldn't shake this nagging feeling off of my mind. He mentioned Lady Bow only recently, but why couldn't I remember the context? And where did she live again? I couldn't remember that either… I eventually got over it when we reached our destination, a place Toadsworth called 'Toad Square'. It wasn't exactly the town Toad Town was, but I suppose it was town enough for Toadsworth and his friend.

Actually, now that I think about it, I hadn't even seen any buildings other than a few shops.

So now the only thing we could do was wait until the right time. We talked for a long time about the Princess, the Mario Bros. and their many adventures, even of Bowser at one point or another. He pretty much informed us about the former history of the Mushroom Kingdom, the real history and not the Dark Bowser/Fawful sanctioned version.

I suppose that's another reason why I preferred WooHoo University over U Goom. The latter had recently updated their curriculum to match the standards of Dark Bowser and Fawful, which is something I was opposed to. It burns me up that they tried to rewrite history to glorify their exploits. I admit some of the things they did was progress, such as the expansion of the Fawful Express Railway Co. That has actually helped out in shipping and receiving food that we're running short of. It's also a convenient way of traveling (even if it does lack the class the fabled Excess Express offers). The rest of their actions… no.

Our conversation finally stemmed past the royals and tangented on to us.

"So, Hope and Kory. We've been talking an awful lot about me and my memories of the Princess and her friends. How about we change the subject and speak about you two for a while?"

"Sure," we agreed.

"What do you want to know?" I asked.

"Well, I suppose I should ask where you two are in your lives first. College? High school? Anywhere outside of school?"

"We're both technically seniors now at the local high school." Kory said. "Today was our last day of school for the school year."

"Well congratulations! I must say you two are growing up very well in this twisted society. Have you two known each other long or did you meet in school?"

"Actually," I started answering this time, "We've known each other since we were kids. It's a funny story how we met actually." I paused so I could laugh; I noticed Kory blushing a deep red at the thought of this escapade.

"He had actually just moved to Toad Town in first grade and he got picked on for being a Human. One day at lunch, some of the tougher Koopas and Goombas were harassing him again—mind you these are first graders—calling him silly, nonsensical names or something. I had been watching this the whole time and finally felt the need to, you know, get involved. I don't know why I did it, but I went up to the lead bully and I pushed him onto his shell. Everyone gasped when I kicked him around the playground."

I couldn't control my laughter anymore. I even fell backwards.

"Yeah, but what you didn't know was that it was Kent C. Koopa's kid."

"Kent C. Koopa? Oh dear, he can be nasty even at the best of times." Toadsworth commented. "What did he do to you for doing that to his child?"

"I was a first grader, what could he do?" I laughed even harder at the thought of the giant Koopa trying to punish a sweet, innocent first grade Toad girl.

"That certainly, huff, is an interesting way of meeting someone. You two mentioned that you're now seniors? Have you two put any thought into what college you want to attend?"

"WooHoo University," I blurted out excitedly.

"Really? How intriguing. I never had the chance to tour its campus the last time I was in the Beanbean Kingdom."

"Whoa! You were in the Beanbean Kingdom? What's it like?"

"Very green, I must say. Colour aside, it was a charming little kingdom where everyone was just as pleasant here in the Mushroom Kingdom. My only dislike was their erratic economy and how fast their coin could fluctuate from equaling 1 Mushroom coin to less that 1 to 100 million!"

"What? That's crazy! How does that even work?"

"I never took the time to investigate what they do differently from what we do. It is simply one of those little things in life that you never question."

"Oh…" I frowned unsatisfactorily. Well, I suppose this is valuable information when deciding to travel abroad for college. Had I known, I would have saved up more than 150 coins.

"I have another question for you two," Toadsworth said. "How come you call Toad Town Mall the 'Shopping District' and why does it look bigger?"

"That's an easy one," Kory started. "It's because after Dark Bowser and Fawful took over, they decided to expand the district; they were unhappy that it was only a few shops big. When they were done expanding, the title you used didn't fit the location anymore so they came up with 'Shopping District'."

"I see now. Interesting. They did this out of concern for the people?"

"No." I answered bluntly. "They did it for more tax money."

An awkward silence.

"Hey, Toadsworth," Kory began, "have you ever wondered where Bowser's body is?"

"Well as a matter of fact yes, but sadly I could never find out because his eyes are shut tighter than his lock jaw. It is not imperative that we find his body, yet I hope we do to satisfy my insatiable curiosity."

"I think we're running out of things to talk about."

"I think you are right, Hope. This may actually be a good time to check back into Toad Town and sneak into Forever Forest. What do you guys say?"

I could hardly breathe anymore when he mentioned those two words.

"Th-th-the F-F-Forever F-Forest?" I quivered. "But th-that's, like, off-limits! We can't go in there!"

"You didn't seem to object to Toadbert entering last night." He countered.

"I was spacing off during that part. I'm sorry."

"Besides, who said it was off limits?" To my surprise, Kory called my bluff.

"Uh, Dark Bowser of course! You silly…" I was overplaying myself, making my voice sound much more chipper than I wanted it to sound and making my smile much wider than I had wanted it to be. I prepared myself to lose this argument and accept the fact that I might die in a forest instead of at the claws of our oppressor.

"Miss Hope, if I didn't know any better I would say that you are scared of the woods." I was hoping Kory would come to my defense like the good friend I knew him to be, but he didn't. Do you want to know what he said instead?

"Ha ha, yeah. She always chickens out when I dare her to even get close to the entrance."

I was not going to stand for this; I quickly rebutted with: "Well I'm sorry that I don't want to get lost in that forest for forever!"

"I guess that's why they call it Forever Forest." Kory snickered to Toadsworth, who joined in with laughter. I started getting livid with them for laughing at me and my completely rational fear.

I suddenly found myself yelling, "Well if you want me to prove to you I can go in the Forever Forest, I will!" They stopped their laughter to stare at me with both eyebrows raised. I noticed my breathing wasn't so much breathing as it was heaving. I don't often get this mad, so this was a pretty new experience for me as well.

Finally breaking the rigidity of the moment, Kory said, "Reverse psychology to the rescue again."

With that, Toadsworth got up and started leading Kory back to the Pipe Yard while I stayed behind a minute, realizing the error of my ways.

My jaw was wide open. I couldn't believe I had fallen for the oldest trick in the Book of Ages so easily!


	7. Dodge and Burn

**Chapter 6: Dodge and Burn**

After catching up to the boys, we reentered the pipe that would grant us exit from Bowser's body.

"Thank you, old friend, for granting me sanctuary for all these years," Toadsworth solemnly whispered as we traveled.

When we emerged, we noticed that it was indeed nighttime and there was no one to be seen for a few blocks. I didn't think that we'd be this lucky.

"The coast is clear." I whispered to the boys. We quietly got off the pipe's platform and began sneaking around. It was quite unnerving, not knowing when and if someone would chance upon us wandering. With every crossroad, I couldn't help envisioning that there'd be a platoon of angry citizens finding us. I think Kory and Toadsworth were experiencing this too; I looked up at Kory a few times who kept looking around and I looked over to Toadsworth who tried to keep a straight face, but he ended up grimacing a few times.

Thankfully, we finally reached the Forever Forest's border.

"There it is!" Toadsworth quietly cheered.

"But wait, who's that over there?" Kory asked, squinting to see in the dark.

I squinted too and saw what he saw: There were two guards patrolling the entrance to the maze-like forest. I knew that under the circumstances this was a devastating surprise, but I was celebrating on the inside.

"Now what do we do?" Kory asked. As if to answer his question, a feint, yet warm, light hit our backs. We turned around to see Mihn T. peeking out from the door, pssting us to come inside.

"Psst!" she hissed. We finally understood what she was doing and crept to her door trying to not get the guards' attentions.

When we were all inside, she shut the door and began streaming off words.

"Where have you guys been? I was soooo worried about you! You've been all over the news; you're all anyone will talk about! You didn't _really_ kill President Antapi, did you? Oh if you did… why would you?! He was our last chance at maybe freedom from Dark Bowser and Fawful! It was my only chance at getting back to my gardening that I so miss! And you should see what they did to your house, Hope. They ransacked it; they took out everything but the kitchen sink to try and tie you and your friends into the murder case and possible assassination attempt of Dark Bowser! Yes, he started claiming that you tried to kill him too. And they got your mother, Hope! They got her! I'm surprised that they haven't gotten your block friend—what was his name again? Monsieur Broque? Anyway, he's somewhere out there, but they got your mother!"

The only thing I ever got out of that rambling was that they had my mother.

"What do you mean, 'They have my mother'?" I spat in almost disbelief.

"I'm sorry, Hope. I only know what they've been saying on the news. They keep repeating that they have the mother of the 'criminal scum'—that's you—and that they're going to put her under heavy interrogation. I guess they're trying to find out why you killed the ex-president."

"But we didn't! It was all Dark Bowser!" Kory yelled, trying to sound louder than Mihn.

"You… wait, he…? OH THANK THE STARS!—oh fuck." She cursed. In her elated joy that we didn't actually kill someone she let slip a praise to the Stars, something that Dark Bowser and Fawful outlawed long ago to prevent the people from getting either a physical or spiritual power.

"What's wrong?" Toadsworth asked Mihn ignorantly.

"Quick, hide! They'll be here any minute!"

"Who'll be here any minute? I demand to know what is going—AAAAH!" Because Toadsworth was resisting her instructions, Mihn started pushing him into a nearby closet.

"There's no time! Just get in here and stay quiet!" Kory and I followed the two and Mihn shut the door on us.

"Miss Hope, I do implore the meaning of all of this. Why are we in a closet?"

"Shh!" I hissed. I continued in a low whispered voice, "There will be guards here any minute questioning Mihn about her outburst."

"But what is wrong with—"

"Don't say it!" Kory whisper-screamed.

"Dark Bowser and Fawful banned any sort of mentioning of the You-Know-Whats in the sky oh so many years ago and they've put a taboo on the words."

"Why?"

"For one thing, to instill fear in the greater population—"

I was interrupted by a fierce pounding on the front door. It was loud enough that we could hear it from our closet.

"I'm coming!" It didn't stop. "Alright, alright! Jeez, I said I was coming…" The door creaked, and we heard the heavy footfalls from the guards enter.

"Good evening, Miss. I don't know if you are aware that you violated a serious law at or around 10:57 this very evening."

"I… what? No. You must be mistaken, sir."

"There is no mistake." His tone sounded as if they would take Mihn off to the dungeons no matter what. "You illicitly mentioned the Stars in some form or manner."

"But so did you just now—" A loud slap echoed through the house.

"We will not tolerate back talking a soldier of the great Dark Bowser."

"This is brutality, is what it is! All I did was mention a food involving the word 'star'!"

As the disagreement continued, I looked around the closet in a panicked frenzy. I was looking for something that would help Mihn out of the situation we accidentally put her in. Then I saw them.

"Guys," I whispered, "I have an idea."

A few minutes later and we stepped out of the closet to find the guards, with Mihn in either hand, just about to step out of the house.

"Boy, am I glad to see you!" Her loose lips exclaimed.

"And you three are?" One of the guards asked.

"Can't you tell by our outfits?" I asked, motioning to my chef coat, pants, shoes, and silly hat.

Kory continued saying, "We're her assistants. We came over this late at night to see if she still wanted help."

"Aren't you a little tall to be an assisting chef?" The other guard asked.

"Yes, yes I am."

"And since when did you need help?" The first guard asked Mihn, jostling her.

"Uh…since Dark Bowser and Fawful commissioned me to cater their 21st anniversary of ruling these lands…which so happens to be very soon. Duh!" That was a bad idea on her part, to add the 'duh', because the guard smacked her again.

"Hey, you know she was right when she said whatever it was about brutality. And now she has witnesses to testify against you."

"Whoa, where were you guys when she said all that?"

"The closet. You saw us come out from there, right?"

"Why were you in the closet?"

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Toadsworth sweating. I'm sure he couldn't take anymore of this pretending game. I'm so glad that Mihn answered this time.

"They were in there because they needed to change out of their street clothes. A chef never wants to dirty their uniform before cooking; it's unsanitary cooking with a worn uniform."

I still cannot believe that the guards bought our story. It's because they asked us to cook for them that I can't believe that.

"Eh-what?" Toadsworth squeaked.

"We want whatever it was that you were about to cook. Make it right and we'll forget all about this."

We were dumbfounded. They believed us so well that they expected us to cook for them.

"Puh-Please excuse us for a moment." Mihn managed. Toadsworth, Kory, and I followed her into the other room. Once the door was shut, we were able to talk without a filter.

"I didn't think they'd want us to cook! What'll we do now?" I said.

"The first thing we need to do is calm down…" Mihn reassured.

"Easy for you to say, you're not the convicted felon!"

"I will be if you don't listen and do exactly what I say during the cooking." That shut Kory up.

"Right, so the first thing we need to do is figure out a dish that involves the word 'star'. Any ideas?" Mihn asked.

"Sorry, but the princess only cooked cakes. If only they had a sweet tooth like a certain Shy Guy I once knew…" Toadsworth mused.

"I gotta say sorry, too. Whenever I cook I just make everything burnt."

"It's true," I confirmed. "He once burned my shake."

We were all at a loss. Until…

"Wait! I remember reading some recipe somewhere!"

**~*-Beyond-*~**

"Mmmmph! Thiff iv sho—mmmph—good!" The first guard smiled, his mouth full of our food.

"Ahhhhh! That was great! Better than the slop they feed us in the barracks. What is this?" The second guard asked after he swallowed.

"This is a Meteor Meal and you can make it from any Shooting Star consumable item. We were hoping to have a sample of it for Dark Bowser and Fawful to approve it for the festivities under the pun that it'd be a smash hit."

The first guard, who was then sipping a glass of water, did a spit-take when she made the pun. I tried to hold in my laughter as he spit on his friend.

"That was funny!" The guard exclaimed, forgetting all about his duties. The second one, however, stayed resolute.

"Well, funny or not, we should get back to the castle. Sorry for inconveniencing you, and have a good rest of the night." Shaking his head to rid himself of any leftover water, he stood up and motioned for his partner to follow. When they exited, we all sighed heavily.

"Let's never speak of this again." I suggested. Everyone concurred.

As we stripped our costumes, we resumed our conversation from before.

"Like I said before—"

"Don't say it again!" Kory yelled.

"Yeah, because she would say it again." I stuck out my tongue at Kory.

"I wanna finish what I was saying! I'm just glad that it really wasn't you that killed President Antapi."

"In all seriousness, what made you think that we did?" Toadsworth questioned.

"Well, I don't know who or what to trust nowadays! I was simply going off what the news was broadcasting."

"It's okay, Mihn." I said.

"And did you say that Monsieur Broque is safe?" Kory asked.

"No. I think he's out and about in the big world. I dunno for sure—no one has seen him since he checked out of the grocery store. That's all anyone knows of him."

"I'm sure wherever he is that he is safe and sound." Toadsworth added to make me feel better. "He must mean a lot to you two."

"Especially me…" I mumbled to myself.

"By the way, what are you three doing wandering around at night when you're most vulnerable? Aren't you afraid you'll get caught?"

"We were on our way to the Forever Forest." Kory answered before he bent down to lace up his sneakers.

"I believe an old acquaintance of mine ran into the complex maze in search of some powerful allies. We were on our way to check my suspicions—will you help me with my vest, Hope?—until we noticed the guards around its entrance—thank you—which is when you started hissing for us to come into your household."

"Oooo! A recon mission! It's something I've only seen in movies! Well I hope you guys are successful and rid this town of the putrid leaders and acid that killed off my flowers."

"I'm sorry, what was that about flowers?" Toadsworth suddenly blurted out.

"What does it matter?" Kory asked.

"Oh, I suppose you don't know… any of you, actually. Before Dark Bowser came into power, I used to be a gardener. I had a magnificent garden right outside the castle gates. It even attracted a few Bulb-Ulbers when they were having a problem in Flower Fields. Sadly, because of the heavy smog, there wasn't enough sunlight to sustain my plants, and so they died.

"I used to think that I wouldn't be able to do anything else in the world, but then Tayce found me in my darkest hour and decided to take me in. I think she saw a little of herself in me, maybe when her husband passed oh so many years ago, the way she took care of me. She kept me and my dream to garden once again alive. I was truly heartbroken when it was her time to go."

"I thought I knew you. Mihn T. The gardener who assisted Mario in saving the," I could tell he wanted to avoid whichever words he wanted to use next, for he corrected himself with, "well, the You-Know-Whos."

Mihn's face lit up when Toadsworth said this. "You… you remember my garden?"

"It was truly a blessing to have in this fair town, Madam." He gave a smile that said he truly meant what he said. She was suddenly hugging him in the moment I blinked. I looked over to Kory, who only shrugged.

"Well, we want to thank you again," I started, "and we definitely owe you for saving our butts."

"Oh, please. Your repayment will be in trouncing Dark Bowser and Fawful."


	8. Forest Freakout

**Chapter 7: Forest Freakout**

We said our good-byes to Mihn and we were back in the nipping air that was nocturnal Toad Town.

"Is it just me, or did it get colder?" I asked, shivering.

"You're always cold, silly goose." Kory teased. "It's the same temperature."

"Look yonder, both of you!" Toadsworth exclaimed in a hushed voice. We looked to see that the guards were no longer in their positions.

"Wow, lucky break!" Kory gasped. "Let's go before they come back!" They both started running while I didn't budge an inch.

"Hope, aren't you coming?" Kory, after realizing I wasn't running with them, turned around and started walking back to me. I violently shook my head.

"Miss Hope, please grant me pardon to say that this is childish the way you're acting. I can assure you that the only real danger in those woods is losing your head to fear."

Still I wouldn't budge.

"Hope, don't make me carry you in there." Kory threatened. I don't get how that was really a threat, in all honesty, but that's what he said. It may actually surprise you that his 'threat' as he calls it worked in getting me at least to the forest's edge.

"Nooo!" I hollered when we reached the first gate inside the forest. "What if we get lost forever? Toadsworth, isn't there any way for us to navigate this Grambiforsaken death trap?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, there is." I loathed the cheerful disposition he so obviously exuded in that black night. "All we have to do is look for the differences in the scenery and we'll be there in absolutely no time at all! Wonderful, no?"

At the time, Kory had no objections to what he thought was an infallible plan. And then there was me who couldn't shut up out of worry for over thirty minutes.

"Hope, calm down! Will it make you feel better if we all hold hands?"

I nodded furiously and yanked Kory's hand. I kinda feel bad now that I realize how hard I squeezed it, but I remember a feint feeling of comfort creeping through my body when I did. It worked its magic slowly, but surely. I looked up at him with a big ol' smile on my face. He didn't look back and I'm totally okay with that. It gave me a chance to admire the way his fiery red hair blew in the unusual gusty breeze that night.

Right as I was getting comfortable with my sight of him, I was immediately yanked out of my blissful daydream and back into the scary reality that engulfed all three of us.

"Why don't we pass the time with another story? I'm slightly curious about Hope's fear of the forest."

"Hey Hope. Since you're still feeling uneasy about this, how about I tell this one?" Kory asked.

Without really thinking about it, I nodded. Now I was looking around at the plant-life of the forest more than where we were actually headed. You know, for one of my biggest fears, I was actually in awe at how lush, yet overgrown, the forest was. It had all sorts of peculiar flowers and premature mushrooms.

Once or twice, an owl caught me by surprise overhead. They're majestic creatures of the night, I must admit, the way they glided through the air and their melodious notes when they hooted. The mere marvel of the forest made me forget that I was stuck inside its deciduous bowels.

Besides, I knew that story that Kory was talking about all too well…

It started as a harmless thing with one of my other friends when I was in middle school. Back then I wasn't afraid of the forest. I wasn't a lot of things back then, but that's getting ahead of myself. She was being a butthead and I wasn't going to let her get away with it that day. During recess is when she got on my last nerve.

She was talking non-stop about the Forever Forest _all day_ and wouldn't shut up about it. That's when I finally bellowed, "If you love it so much, why don't you go live in it?"

"You don't really mean that, Hope!" she said.

"No, I do! I triple-dog-dare you to go in!"

Later that day, we met up near the entrance to the forest. Word got out to all the other kids, so we had a pretty sizable crowd. Kory was standing close to the front since he was one of the first to find out and arrive on the scene. There was a buzz of anxiousness going around the crowd of tweens behind her and me.

"Why's she going through with it?" "Ask Hope, she started it." "Anybody got popcorn?" "NO!"

Finally when the crowd quieted down, I spoke to her.

"Well, are you gonna go?" I wish now that I could have erased the stupid little smirk I had on my face when the time came for her to go.

With a hearty gulp, she faced the forest and entered.

I guess it's safe to tell you that she never came out. We waited until nightfall for her to come out of the forest, but she never did. Out of anyone there, I think I was the most nervous because it was I who did this to her.

I never forgave myself that we lost a dear friend, a great fellow student, and an inspiration to us all.

"And that's why she hates the forest." Kory finished off the story.

After that, it fell very quiet. I suppose Toadsworth was still taking in the gravity of the story… or I was still in my own little world.

Thinking about that made me want to let go of Kory and find a quiet, secluded place in the forest to just cry my eyes out. I actually almost did if not for the fact that my hand felt locked in its overexerted clasp. So instead, I cried next to Kory… _very_ silently.

"WWWAAAAAAAAHH! I'M SORRY! Waaaaaahhhhh… I… I just wanna…" sniffle, "go home… waaaahhh."

The two boys were stunned to see me in this state. I'm sure you are too since I stretched the truth only slightly.

Oh don't give me that look! You wouldn't outright say you broke down completely if that were you, would you? No? Didn't think so. May I continue now? Thanks.

Anyway, as I was saying, the two boys didn't know what to do with me.

"Hope, what's wrong? Was it the story?" Kory asked, panicked.

I sniffed and said through my tears, "No."

"Then what is it, Miss Hope?"

"I… I don' wanna talk about it…" I said that because I didn't know what to say.

"Well, I'm at a loss." Toadsworth casually mentioned to Kory. Of course, I misunderstood him, so I screamed at the top of my lungs.

"WHAT? WE'RE LOST?"

Before any of them could say otherwise and get me to calm down, I wrenched my hand from Kory's and started running away in order to escape and get back to the entrance. I didn't care if Dark Bowser and Fawful would kill me if they found me; I just wanted to get out of that nightmarish forest for good.

I was in for a shock when I bumped into Toadsworth.

"Well, hello there. I see you discovered that the forest is divided into various circular paths." He cheerfully exclaimed.

I cursed him for his cheerfulness.

"Hope! Don't run off like that. What if you really did get lost?"

"I'm sorry!" I sputtered. "I didn't mean to. I won't do it again."

"A wise decision on your part. How about you distract yourself with a game of some kind until we get to Lady Bow's mansion?"

Lady Bow? Is that who he was referring to last night in Club Wii? I would soon find out after getting through that intolerable forest.

"What kind of a game?" Kory asked. His answer was a pair of shrugged shoulders and a tug on his hand to keep going.

It was an hour later before anyone talked again.

"Toadsworth, we've been past that exact tree stump three times already. Are you sure you know where you're going?"

"Blast it all! If it weren't so dark I would be able to navigate this dense overgrowth like the back of my hand. If I ever get appointed back in the princess' castle, I'm recommending a yearly trimming to keep this from growing out of control."

"How about just banning anyone coming in here?" I facetiously suggested, falling to the ground in exhaustion.

"Wait Toadsworth, are you suggesting that we're l-o-s-t?"

I know he spelled it so I wouldn't freak out, but c'mon. We were in high school; I think I knew how to spell simple words like that back then.

"Now don't jump to hasty conclusions! I think that we have strayed from the intended path slightly is all."

I started hyperventilating.

"Hope! Steady breaths! Oh, gosh. Do you have a paper bag?" Kory asked Toadsworth.

"Sadly no. Why not use the pack on your back?"

"That's a great idea!" He slung the bag off his back and carefully handed it to me (he didn't want me poking my eye out).

In and out, in and out, in and out, until I felt comfortable again.

"You did this to me." I accused. I couldn't help wheezing.

"Hope, relax. You're with us. You need to calm down. I know, how about you think of something that makes you happy. That ought to cheer you up!"

"But everything happy now makes me saaaad…" I whined.

"Yeesh, and I thought I was a worrier." I heard Toadsworth mumble before he looked away to try and find out where we were.

"Well, think of me then," he said.

That took me by surprise. I hadn't thought to think of the one person who was sure to make me smile through thick and thin. I started thinking about all the times he came over to my house and helped me with various things. He was so kind to me and to my family, never showing any disrespect or harm. He was especially gracious when he heard the news of Father's passing abroad. He was always there for me.

This was no different.

"There, feeling better?" He asked a few minutes later. I slowly nodded and he helped me to my feet. "Now come on. We should see if Toadsworth found the way yet. I think he walked this way."

We walked around the dirt circle until we found Toadsworth in front of an obviously placed sign.

"It reads, 'To Lady Bow's Mansion'. That means we're here! Quick, let's go!" Toadsworth ran through the wooden pole and raced to the end of the path. Before Kory and I followed suit, I stopped Kory.

"Hey, thanks for earlier. I really needed that." I blushed.

"No worries." He said. Then he pecked my forehead with his lips, making me jump in surprise. "Now, c'mon. I'll race you out of here—"

I was out of there faster than an overturned Koopa zooming down a downhill slope.


	9. Fright Night

**Chapter 8: Fright Night**

We finally caught up to Toadsworth at the end of the dirt path and in front of an intricate iron gate. Standing in front of us was a formidable three-story mansion that looked too good to be stranded in this unforgiving forest. And somewhere in that mansion was the answer to Toadsworth's problem in putting together the greatest resistance movement to Dark Bowser and Fawful since they came into power.

"Lady and gentleman, somewhere in there is the answer to my problem in putting together the greatest resistance movement to Dark Bowser and Fawful since they came into power."

See? I'm not making it up! We went through that gruesome ordeal in the forest for a good reason.

Before any of us could approach the iron gate, a very pale Boo with an even paler mustache appeared above us.

"Welcome to Lady Bow's Mansion. Are you expected by Her Ghouliness or any other patron of the mansion?"

"Why yes as a matter of fact we are. I don't suppose you currently host a Toad by the name of Toadbert, eh Bootler?" Toadsworth answered.

The Boo named Bootler paused a moment. He straightened out his mustache as he asked who was speaking and how they knew him.

"I am Toadsworth, former advisor and administrator to former Princess Peach Toadstool of the Mushroom Kingdom. I have with me two guests from Toad Town. And come on, Bootler. You know me; you still owe me coins for that one poker night before the whole Blorb incident occurred."

I watched as Bootler's eyes grew wide in fear. He's dead, what more does he have to fear?

"Oh, dear," he said, "I've forgotten all about that." He nervously gulped. "It-It's good to see you after all these years. You will forgive me if I do not repay you immediately, will you?"

"Of course, my friend. I've been gone twenty years. Do you think I came back just for a silly old wager oh so many years ago?"

"Of course not. Please, right this way, all of you. My apologies, this is just a routine check in case those unlawful leaders of ours decided to visit our hideaway."

Like magic, the iron gate swung open and allowed us access to the mansion. We slowly crept forward—I hid behind Kory, who was just as awestruck as I sort of was—until we reached the stairs up to the front door.

"One more thing: I'm so sorry, but the lady has decided to test any visitor with the task of reaching the top floor."

"What? That's not fair!" I objected. This was a bad thing for me to do, as Bootler grew three times his size and opened his mouth so wide that it ran chills down me. I screamed and knelt down behind Kory's legs.

"As I wanted to say before being interrupted, this is not my rule; if you have a problem, please take it up with my lady. Grambi speed as you try to navigate the mansion."

With that, he disappeared.

"I bet he's at the top now. Man, I wish I could teleport like that!" Kory protested.

"I remember Master Mario having to do something similar to this oh so many, many years ago. But that was before I was Peach's advisor…" Toadsworth sighed. "I suppose we should enter and start our journey ever upwards."

"Oh yeah!" Kory cheered.

"Yaaay." I whispered.

Toadsworth opened the door, and we entered to find a rustic and rundown entry hall.

"Wow, talk about needing Spring Cleaning…" I mused.

"Look at that couch." Kory said. "Finally a place to sit." He walked over to the obtrusive green couch. "I wonder why there's a brown cushion… oh well."

As Kory sat himself down on the couch, Toadsworth and I walked around to take in our surroundings. Yes they needed cleaning; yes they needed repairs. I already told you all of that. I didn't say that it was all grey (save the couch, of course), there were few furniture pieces scattered around, a vase here and a bookshelf on the back wall, or that there were stairs leading up to the second floor.

"Oh sure, have stairs for the second floor, but not the third?" I asked out loud.

"Careful, Miss Hope. Remember that this was designed to be a test for us."

Just then, Kory started screaming out of nowhere. We both looked back to see that he had been launched from his seat and onto the ancient chandelier overhead.

"Kory! How did this happen?" It was finally my turn to panic about him.

"I dunno!" He yelled down to us. "All I did was sit on that brown cushion and now I'm up here. Uh-oh!"

Suddenly, the chain he grabbed onto started lowering itself down to the floor.

"What's happening?" He yelped.

"I believe, if I'm correct," Toadsworth began, "that you are acting as a counterweight for the chain, thus resulting in the lowering of the chain. The only question now is what the chain does for us."

"The bookshelf!" I squealed in delight. "It's moving!" I watched as it rumbled over to the left, revealing a door where it once stood. "This is excellent! We'll be up there faster than they expect." I couldn't stop grinning at my discovery, until…

"But Hope, wouldn't that door lead downstairs or something?" Part of me wanted to tackle Kory to the ground for popping my theory. Of course I didn't! Shame on you for thinking I did.

"Master Kory may have a point. As this door is on the ground floor, I doubt that there are stairs here that skip the second floor and lead to the third floor. It seems most illogical."

"Well, I'm gonna prove it to you two!" I shouted, still in disbelief.

"If you're going somewhere, you should at least let us come." Kory said, getting off of the chain.

I only know that he got off the chain because the bookcase started moving back to where it was before.

"No. No! NO! Stop—ooph!—moving—grrr—bookcase!" I ran over to it and strained myself trying to keep it from locking in place. What happened was that it pushed me back. I slumped to the ground when it finally stopped, folding my arms in disappointment.

"It's not fair." I mumbled.

"C'mon, Hope. Get up." Kory gave me a hand in standing back up. "We've got the rest of the mansion to explore anywho."

"What about this door over here?" Toadsworth asked, pointing to a door right of the bookcase on the other side of the room.

We walked over to it only to be scared witless by an Atomic Boo.

All: AAAAYYYYYYIIIIIEEEEEEE!

We all held each other very tightly, fearful of what might happen next. Was he going to swallow us alive? Would he possess us for all of eternity until he satisfied himself? What would he do to us?

Surprisingly, he disappeared; it took more than just a few minutes for us to recover from that.

"I wonder what the purpose of that was," Toadsworth finally asked out loud. I don't think he meant it specifically for anyone.

"My question," Kory started, "is if we go back to that door?" His question was answered with a sullen silence. What we decided eventually was to retry the door. To our luck, the Atomic Boo did not appear, as we feared he would. However, we were disappointed when we entered.

"There's nothing in here but boxes! What's so special about boxes?"

To say the least, we were all as stunned as Kory was. What was the big deal about having such a big Boo guard those dumb boxes?

In short, we never found out. We left the room after discussing some vase opposite the door; it seemed pointless as well.

We wound up back in the main entrance hall with nowhere to go but upstairs. Up there, we found two more doors and an empty painting frame. We decided to investigate the painting to see what was up with it.

"What a strange piece of art." Toadsworth commented, almost sounding like a posh art critic.

"Weird. I think the artist forgot to finish his painting."

"I think he forgot to paint at all, Kory."

We left the tattered, empty tapestry for the door closest to it. No spooky surprises when we tried to enter, so that was that and we simply walked in.

"Oh boy! A bedroom! With beds!" I cheered. I remembered that the last time I went to sleep was early this morning; I figured I was overdue for sleep. I don't even know if the boys got any sleep that morning! This was just a really weird day. It was then when I started to feel an exhaustion that would last me the rest of this mini adventure through the mansion.

"And look at these magnificent cupboards. I wonder what lies inside this one?"

Toadsworth swung open the doors to the middle cupboard and we all jumped in fear as a whole slew of Boos flew out of it. Our shrieking fits filled that room up more than the Boos who formed a large circle in the middle of it.

"HAAAA HA HA HA ha haaa!" it cackled over our shrieking. "So glad you could make it this far in the mansion! I doubt you big bunch of scaredy cats won't make it past this little game of ours though." He let out another loud fit of cackling before floating down in the middle of the ring of Boos.

"Wh-what are you going to do with us?" shivered Kory. The Boo simply deadpanned.

"What are we gonna—? I just told you we're going to play a little game! Sheesh, are you three that fearful of us?"

"Well when you pop out of a cupboard unexpectedly…"

"You're in a haunted mansion, for Luvbi's sake! It's all just for effect; besides, we all know you're not associated with Dark Bowser and Fawful."

"So why are—" I started to ask, while we all clambered up on our feet, in a strange mixture of terror and exhaustion, but the Boo finished my thought perfectly.

"Why are we doing this to you? You guys must have the memory of Blubi or something to forget we're testin' ya!"

I didn't look, but I felt like I was getting glares from both of the boys for my dumb question driven by tiredness. The Boo chuckled softly this time, and then went on to say what the game was.

"Alright, I know it's late at night so I'll keep the rules of this simple. You guys most likely found that empty portrait on the outside of this room? Here's the missing portrait." He pulled out of his… well, I'm guessing what would be a pocket—he pulled out a physical portrait of a very old and posh Boo; old because it was obviously weathered and saturated of any color if there was any to start with, and posh because of his top hat and monocle. I stared at it; the desire within me to just snatch it out of his hand so we could end this night and this test and then go to bed was growing. Right before I even thought to pounce for it, he put it back.

"Wish I could just hand it to you, but orders are orders. Here's the deal: These Boos here are gonna circle around for a bit in one direction, and I'll be hoverin' over the other way. Pay close attention because sometime during that I'm gonna drop it off to a Boo below me. Your job is to find that Boo. If you guess correctly, you win as simple as that."

It seemed simple enough to tired me.

Until the Boos started throwing the portrait around the circle to each other.

"Hey, what gives? You never said anything about this!" Kory's protest went unanswered; the Boos continued. "Well, then I've already lost where it is…" I heard him mutter under his breath.

They finished passing it around among them, and I thought I caught a guilty smirk on one of the Boo's faces. Toadsworth murmured quietly to himself, but too quietly for me to make out what he said. Our friendly Boo floated back to the center of the circle.

"Alright, time's up. You gotta pick now." Commanded the lead Boo. He then reached into his pocket again and pulled out what looked like an ordinary wooden hammer. "You'll be needing this to choose which Boo you think has the portrait. Just bonk them on the head and if they're the one, they'll drop it. Since there are three of you, you guys get three chances." He threw the hammer to Kory. I blame the lateness of the night for his poor hand-eye coordination that caused him to get bonked in the head with it.

After moaning the pain out of him and rubbing his forehead for quite a few seconds, he picked up that Dusty Hammer (I recognized what it was after I got a closer look at it), and randomly bopped the first Boo he came to.

"Wrong pick, buck-o!" our chatty Boo chuckled. Kory shrugged it off and walked back over to us. I remember he was a little more upset than he let on to be, and I only noticed it because of the way he plopped himself down on the floor and the way he aggressively folded his legs over so that they criss-crossed. His pensive leaning forward, supporting himself up with his elbows on his legs, only helped me conclude that he really did feel bad about the whole thing.

"Looks like it's your turn, my elderly friend." Toadsworth grabbed the hammer that Kory carelessly left on the ground in front of him and took his time picking a Boo. I guess he was glad that there was one less Boo for him to pick from out of all the Boos in the circle, but there were still too many for any of us to be sure just which one held our key to the third floor. He took his time choosing, examining each Boo carefully and with a distinct eye. None cowered in fear as he glared down each one.

Something that surprised me about this whole ordeal is that when we looked at these Boos, they didn't seem to disappear like most of the Boos I've read about in the library or we learned about in school. They're known specifically for their ability to appear and disappear; a scientist devoted his entire life studying and perfecting a way to mimic that curious ability of theirs! Yet, as strange as it was, they didn't seem to even flinch at us. This gang seemed to _want_ to lock on to our gazes. I was way too tired at the time to realize it, but that was a moment where I witnessed how different and interesting the world that's outside of the books and classrooms really can be. It's one of those things you really have to experience on your own.

Enough of me rambling on about those Boos though. I've gotta get back to the story. So there Toadsworth was, staring down one of the Boos near the back of the bunch, and WHAM! He hits that Boo.

"Sorry old timer, but you're wrong too. Good try though." It was nice to know that our game host had a nice side to him. I don't think he would have complimented Toadsworth just because he's old; that would have been really shallow of him, and so far he's proven completely otherwise.

Toadsworth walked back to us and sat himself down with the extra help of his cane. He leaned up against Kory, in need of some support for his old, tired bones. Based on how I saw him last night, I wouldn't have expected such an active elder to need a bedtime. I guess we all need some time to rest and recharge though.

"Your turn, girlie." The Boo finally said after giving Toadsworth a chance to settle himself down. I took a big gulp, afraid I'd mess up all of this for us. I slowly stepped forward on the creaking floorboards and took a pause to acclimate to the surrounding Boos who all turned to me. These were really good Boos; they scared me and didn't even have to do anything!

At this point I was trying to figure out which Boo it was that I caught smirking early on, but this overwhelming fear of the Boos and of failing to guess the correct one was really getting to me. On top of all that was the overwhelming tiredness, too. Not to mention I was now getting hungry. I was feeling like a wreck, and I'm sure I can say the same for Kory and Toadsworth. I was secretly hoping to the Stars for a break or some kind of long resting period after this dumb game. There was only one way to get that though.

A deep breath or two later, I was focused on my objective. It probably annoyed all the Boos that I was taking my time, but so what. If they really wanted us to win, they would have given that portrait to us at the beginning. I guess this Lady Bow is spookier than all of the Boos put together if _they_ fear her.

I stopped in front of each one and stared for a good few seconds or so. I guess, looking back now, I was trying to break each one to rediscover the one who gave the tell early on. There were only two Boos left, and from the corner of my eye I saw it. The one Boo I saw earlier shifted and stifled a giggle. New life sparked in me and I jumped over to him, hammer over my head. I whacked him head with a heavy strike. Upon impact, the portrait fell out and that Boo shrieked. I wonder if I went a little overboard…

"Congrats, you did it," the leader Boo said. His tone was dry, likely an effect from me taking way too long choosing, but we didn't care because we finally had our key to moving on forward.

"To be honest, though, we would have just given this to you if you lost." A new Boo piped in.

"He's right, ya know. Bootler told us that Toadsworth is with you guys and he's a really great friend to us."

"Yeah! And our other guest keeps talking about him, too. You're, like, a celebrity now."

"Lady Bow even thinks highly of you. She still wanted to test you because she doesn't believe in special treatment. That's why we had to keep with this little game idea of ours. It was nothing personal, we swear."

"Like I said at the beginning of all this," the talking finally returned to the leader Boo, "We wanted to just hand it to you, but we couldn't because we were given orders. And like my friend said, yeah Lady Bow really does want to meet with you but she has standards and one of them is no special exceptions to anyone ever. To help you all feel better about yourselves, she even had the great Mario go through something like this many years ago, and he was a great hero and celebrity and everything else good for the Mushroom Kingdom. So don't feel bad."

We all stayed quiet; I at least didn't really know what to say, and I'm guessing that neither Kory nor Toadsworth did either. The Boo caught on to this and then told us rather awkwardly, "Go on and take the portrait. You've earned it."

That's what we did, and we left the room very dazed and somewhat stunned. It took us all a moment to regain our momentum.

"Okay, so we have this portrait… thingy. Now what?" Kory asked.

"If I'm not mistaken, all we have to do, my boy, is walk up to that portrait and place this long lost artifact inside of the frame. The rest is beyond even my own comprehension, unfortunately."

"That sounds like a good plan, Toadsworth." I said. I led them over to that barren frame and reached into my pocket for our prize. Without even having to do anything else, if floated out of my hands and placed itself neatly onto the canvas.

"Oh it feels SO good to be back in my frame! Thank you all for this. As debt repayment, I shall carry you all up to the third floor whenever you wish… provided that I'm here when you come back. That Lady Bow keeps taking me out of my frame more than a Koopa's shell is kicked off accidentally in a year. Come on! Hop into me!"

I was skeptical, but then Toadsworth proved to us that it was perfectly safe by demonstrating for us first. He leapt up and in and disappeared. I got over my shock and followed after and there he was a few feet away in front of a door. Kory came soon after.

"Hey, do you smell that?" I asked. Taking more sniffs, I realized that it was fresh food and it was behind that door. We walked in to find a set table for food and three short figures waiting patiently.


	10. Treats and Tricks

**Chapter 9 - Treats and Tricks**

The first figure I saw was of course the only one I recognized immediately. Bootler, the Boo we met at the front gates of the mansion earlier that night, hovered up and down above the creaky floorboards without sounding them. He floated alongside an extraordinarily green Boo. This, I automatically assumed, was the Lady Bow every Boo and Toadsworth was talking about. I really didn't see anything distinguishing besides her color and the crystal bows on her head. Other than that, I would have mistaken her for any other ordinary Boo. I guess those are some perks with looking different: You're automatically made into some sort of an authority figure. She floated in the middle of this trio of beings at the edge of the opposite head of the table.

The last figure I did not recognize at all. I assumed he was some sort of old guy based on the fact that he was—er, is. I mean is. He is one of Toadsworth's friends from before the Dark Bowser and Fawful takeover. It's just that he was never in any books related to the unstoppable Mario quartet. Then again, neither was Toadsworth. So this new Toad was a surprise to me. His main color was blue, and his cap was spotted the usual white that we Toads have. Other than that, there was nothing more outstanding about him… he wore thick glasses, but that's it.

"Toadsworth! So clad you could make it, by boogity! You're just in time for our late night feast. What brings you out here to the heart of the forest, anyway? And who are your friends?"

"Toadbert… long time, no see. Ho ho!"

"Oh you. Always cracking jokes!" They both laughed.

"Welcome, my guests," spoke Lady Bow. The two hushed their jovial reunion and listened to what else she had to say. "Please, join us for dinner. I have had Bootler set you all places at the end of the table where you stand now. The only one I had a set place for was Toadsworth, as he's the only one whose name I knew; you will be sitting next to your old friend and my new friend. I ask you find your seats while the food is still warm."

Toadsworth walked over to his assigned spot at the table next to Toadbert and the two started chatting it up as if they were two crows gossiping about Doopliss' name. Kory and I weren't sure how to seat ourselves, but to save me the trouble of having the possibility of being scared by Bootler again he chose to sit next to the esteemed butler. That left me the seat across from the lady. Kory actually pulled my seat out for me, the chivalrous guy. I kept in a hushed giggle at his gallantry, but thanked him aloud.

"Right, now that we're all seated I believe it is time to introduce the main course." Bootler announced. "Our own head chef will be presenting."

As if on cue, some doors behind Lady Bow opened up and revealed a Boo with a toque and apron carrying six silver platters (three in each hand). It looked like they were all the same dish, as he didn't discern which platter went to whom. I didn't care; I just wanted to scarf it all down.

Once all the platters were set, the chef unveiled that of Lady Bow's and I instantly got excited. Mushrooms! Fresh Fried Shroom! Oh, I can't tell you how much my mouth was watering just by looking at that steaming dish. I hadn't had Mushrooms since grade school, and they were my all-time favorite food. Once the Mushroom shortage came about thanks to the logistics of Dark Bowser's embargoes and Fawful's bean addiction, they became a delicacy and, over time, the rarest food in the Mushroom Kingdom.

But here was an entire meal built around the fungi! I didn't question it at all for two reasons: I was already eating, and Lady Bow provided for us.

"I had these Mushrooms specially imported just for this occasion. Being a main, _good_ leader of the Boos does give me certain connections around the worlds for certain things. I realize that both Toadsworth and Toadbert are Mushroom aficionados and have not had a well-prepared meal with the ingredient in decades, so I decided to treat you two to a marvelous dinner while we discuss… whatever it is that you've come to me for. Enjoy." She paused, looking directly at me as I had my head tilted down to stuff my face even more, and said, "It looks like I don't have to wish you enjoyment." She chuckled.

"Well this is a most splendid treat! Thank you, Lady Bow." I could see Toadsworth's face glowing with gratitude. He had every right to be that way after Kory and I had to tell him that Mushrooms were out of stock in the Mushroom Kingdom.

"Anything for such a fine defender. Now… I've a question to pose to you." She looked over at Toadsworth very curiously. "Who are your friends? Toadbert never mentioned them to me at all and even after Bootler described them I cannot place them."

"Oh, my apologies," he said, "This is Master Kory and Miss Hope. Please say—oh come now, Hope! We are guests! Let's be on our best behavior." He caught me licking the plate for excess sauce that I might have missed. Embarrassed, I pulled my napkin off the table and wiped my mouth clean.

"Please excuse my behavior, Lady Bow." I felt compelled to say.

"Oh, please! Go to town if you wish! I know it's been forever since any Toad has had a Mushroom meal. I don't mind at all." She cackled in glee; I don't know why, so please don't ask. She then sat there, pondering.

"Hope and Kory… two teens from Toad Town… but what would you be doing in the middle of this Grambiforsaken forest? Unless…" she gasped. "NO. Are you two the teens who are fleeing from Dark Bowser?"

I didn't say anything and neither did Kory.

"That says it all. Your fear of me turning you in just gave it away. Don't worry, loves, I'd never dream of doing such a thing! I'm just shocked since you've been all over the news today. That was very brave of you to do, and I think you three are the first successful ones since… well, that's getting ahead of myself. HAHAHAAAA~!"

"Wait," Kory started, putting down his fork with a piece of Mushroom stabbed on it. "How do you know about us?"

"My dear human, just because we live out here in the middle of nowhere doesn't mean we're deprived of the basic necessities such as cable or radio! Don't make me laugh again!" She took a bite of her own dish before continuing on. "No, you two have been all the news has talked about today. No thanks to that egotistical maniac that's running the entire world into the ground… not that I blame him, as that's his goal anyway. But he made me miss my favorite soap opera today with his constant running of hate propaganda for you two dear children."

"We're not children!" I interrupted, stunning everybody. "We're going to be seniors in high school after the summer is over."

"Well that's meaningless as of right now," she retorted. "Anyway, you two have become of great interest to the entire Dark Bowser initiative. Did you know he mentioned you three at his rally in front of the library earlier today?"

In all honesty, no we didn't. Of course we didn't stay for long, either.

"He's very eager to reclaim you three." Bootler said. "He's announced that he will stop at nothing to imprison you."

"Which is why if you need anything at all, please don't hesitate to ask. It's yours."

I took a sip of the water provided with the meal before saying anything. I didn't have to, as Toadsworth spoke.

"You're willing to risk everything to protect us? My lady, are you sure you are able to do such a heroic act?"

"DON'T YOU QUESTION ME!" She screeched. Just like with Bootler, she grew to at least three times her original size and bore a gruesome grin with her fangs protruding. I had to hide under the table and did not come back up until she was normal again. She continued once I had reseated myself. "I'm sorry that I lost control of myself, but those kinds of questions irritate me to no end. Especially when they come from such an esteemed member of Peach's council. You should know better than to question my alliances. Of course I'm willing to help out those opposed to that damned tyrant and his lackey. I'd do anything to give the shitface a piece of my mind. He hasn't just affected the major cities you know. My Boo and Bumpty friends in Poshley Heights are suffering just as much as anyone here in Toad Town. I hate to see undue suffering. Sure this may surprise you because of what I am by nature, but that doesn't necessarily mean I'm a mean-hearted person. What's mine is yours, and if you take out that wretch then all will be right for me again."

"Such a noble and generous offer, milady." Toadbert said. "In my short time here, I don't remember anything about this being brought up."

"That's because we finally have a chance. Hope has given us hope again; please ignore the pun, it's just coincidence. Because of this, I'm willing to step in and risk everything for a shot at getting our land back on the right path."

Only the sound of clinking silverware on expensive china filled the hall for the rest of the dinner. I had to awkwardly sit there or take small sips of my water and wait for everyone else to finish since I finished first. I couldn't help myself, I'm sorry! I must say that it was a delicious meal, but that's not what you're interested in hearing commentary about right now. I was just as shocked as Toadsworth was when she made that proposal. I know in retrospect it should have been completely obvious since she wanted to meet with us in the first place and all the Boos were in support of us during that dumb game downstairs, but you really couldn't blame us for not knowing who to trust since Dark Bowser had been making a big deal about us being some sort of evil clan or whatever Lady Bow said she heard on the radio.

It was about at this time where I started to think about my mother and Broque Monsieur, if only to keep my mind from going completely berserk from boredom. I started wondering how they were doing now that everything had changed thanks to me. Where were they keeping my mom? Did Broque Monsieur make it out of the town alive or unharmed? So many painful uncertainties started flooding in on me and my heart started racing. Was what we were doing the right thing? Was it worth risking the lives of others now that it seemed like Lady Bow was willing to risk lending us some of her own kind? The Boos are a tightly knit group and don't often do things on their own. Would I be able to handle the guilt if anything happened to any of them? I guess you can tell everything worked out fine, but no spoilers! It's way too early for anything related to the ending.

After what felt like a good half hour, finally everyone finished their meal. Dessert was next and that was moderately quiet. We did however talk about how she came to be known as a natural leader of the Boos and what sorts of adventures she went on with Mario all those years ago. That was entertaining to hear about. Until finally, at the last few bites of our Frozen Bunnies, she worked her way back to the situation at hand.

"Yes, those were some grand times. I miss having adventures like that, but you do get to keep the fond memories and a few mementos here and there. Like my Crystal Bows, for example. They were gifted to me by a very sweet dear of mine."

"Oh? I don't recall you engaging in any relationship during my time under the princess."

"Yes, well we started a few years before you came on to replace the Minister, Grambi rest his pixels. The old man was a kind-hearted keeper of the castle. Anyway, I was indeed involved with someone. An inter-dimensional pink puff ball of cute. He came around a few times when the Mario Bros were still alive. He was sweet and endearing, though surprisingly jealous which added some spice to the relationship, hahaha~! I remember once I was in a play and his apparent rival was forced to kiss me on stage! Boy did he turn noticeably red! Sadly this all came to pass… once Mario and Luigi were destroyed by that vicious Fawful-slash-Dark-Star bug hybrid thing that is only spoken of in the myths of what really happened, the inter-dimensional friends never came back to visit us. My own boyfriend has not visited me in over twenty years. My heart weeps every once in a while when it crosses my mind.

"This is simply only one of the many reasons I have for my enormous desire to help you out on your daunting quest. Dark Bowser is no-one to sneeze at, so you will need all the help you can get if you want any chance of defeating him. You eventually _will_ have to battle him and his army, so your best option is to start stocking up on troops and supplies now before it's too late. I implore you to go along with this. I miss my precious moments with him."

I was stunned silent. I had no idea that there was an underlying story to anyone else about the whole event twenty years ago. I was always under the impression that it happened and that was it. To learn that it tore apart someone's deep relationship, among imagining other possibilities, was eating away at my already bleeding heart. I wanted to get up and give her the biggest hug she had ever received and comfort her with ice cream and chick flicks. This also dispelled any doubts I was having before dessert.

"My lady," I said, "it would be an honor to have your assistance."

"Hear, hear!" followed Toadsworth.

"Thank you, both. You won't regret this. Now it's just a matter of you all figuring out what to do after this. When the time comes, you can count on me to lend my Boos to you, but we're far from that at the moment. Have you put any thought into where to go next?"

No we hadn't.

"Might I make a suggestion?" Toadbert announced. We all looked toward him, eager to hear what he wanted to say. "Since you three are still on the run, would it not be smart to stay hidden, or under the radar as it were? I've learned from a few of the Boos here that Dark Bowser does not even bother looking through Old Bowser's Castle for anything that might pose a threat to him and his seemingly eternal reign. From those same Boos, I've learned that there is a train that passes it on the way across the country for commuters."

"Oh my gosh, the Fawful Express!" I gasped. "It stops there for refueling! If we could somehow make it on board without getting caught, we just sneak off when it makes that stop and we'd be home free! Toadbert, that's a great idea!"

I was surprised Kory went silent for this portion of the dinner conversation. He's usually one to spurt out ideas, make witty jokes, or even sometimes just agree with everything anyone says. None of that happened this time, and it actually bugged me a little. Why was he silent? Nevertheless, the plan was extended for us and we now had a new destination. The only problem was how do we get back to Toad Town first? That'd have to wait a few minutes as there was a surprise question from Kory… and just after I explained that he was so quiet tonight, too. Oh well, ha ha ha!

"So you were around for that whole thing twenty years ago, right?" he addressed to Lady Bow. "Do you know anything else that happened?"

"No, I can't say that I do know much more than what any of you know. However, the rumor mill has produced something of a gem and a personal headcanon for me: It seems that there was an escapee. Whoever it was, though, didn't get far before they were caught. I hear that Dark Bowser didn't have the heart to kill them though as he didn't want the blood on his hands or something. The specifics die out there, but it's rumored that they're still alive in the castle dungeons. That, sadly, is as far as my knowledge goes."

"I see… well thanks, I guess."

"Not at all! I was going to tell you earlier, but as I said before I spoiled it I was getting ahead of myself. Hee hee hee~."

"But…" I started thinking aloud, "that doesn't make any sense. There were only four Heroes according to all the texts in the library, and it can't be Toadsworth or Toadbert since they're here with us now. Lady Bow, do you know who else could have been with the Mario Bros at the time of that last battle? Maybe they could be an ally to us!"

"My dear, sweet, naïve girl," I felt insulted somehow, "if I knew such a thing I would have already said. As that's not the case, no I don't know. And furthermore, I just said that they might be in the castle dungeons. Who knows if they're rotting to their core right now? Dark Bowser has never checked those dungeons except to put new prisoners in. If you ask me, it would be a lost cause."

Well I admit that shut me down with an airtight alibi for them. So this mystery figure was not an option anymore, but I still wasn't convinced that what she said about it being a lost cause was entirely true.

"Thanks for sharing that, Lady Bow," Toadbert thanked. "I'm sure that's not in any of the history books printed during this era of darkness. The more you know empowers you all the more."

"Yes, indeed. Now, about how to get you three back to Toad Town undetected—"

"Four. I'm going with them." Toadbert blurted out. Kory, taking a sip of his leftover water, spat it out; all of our attention shifted over from Toadbert to Kory. We all eyed him curiously, even Lady Bow and Bootler.

"Uh… sorry. I thought I… tasted a bug." None of us were fully convinced, but that was good enough for the moment.

"I'm going along with them. If anything, they'll need to talk to different groups in different and foreign regions. I've those kinds of skills, being a former diplomat to foreign affairs and stuff. If anything, I'd be a huge asset to them!"

"He brings up an interesting point," Toadsworth added. "My talents are somewhat limited in that area. Remember I was constantly at the princess' side advising her. I only encountered those foreign to us when we traveled. Toadbert here has much more experience than I. To have him along with us would truly be, as he said, a great asset to us."

"I don't see why not," I said.

"It only makes sense to me," Lady Bow agreed. "You would not have much to do around here, anyway. I expected your visit would be temporary anyway."

"Your word is best, milady," complimented Bootler. "I'm relieved that you have not decided to venture with them. That would have only given me grave stress again."

Kory hadn't commented on the idea of Toadbert joining us. Call it a woman's intuition, but at the time I thought he was jealous or even suspicious of him. He simply sat there, staring blankly ahead with a glassy look coming from his already reflective eyes. I can only imagine what he was thinking, but I'm not him so I can't say. He simply didn't say anything at all.

"Well, I'm interpreting Kory's—that's his name, right?—well, I'm interpreting his silence as agreement for me to come along. Oh, you guys are not going to regret this!"

"So now that the number of your group is settled, we still have the matter of getting you back to Toad Town undetected." Lady Bow said. "I can only think of one option, and it coincides perfectly with Toadbert's Fawful Express idea earlier. Underneath this mansion is an entrance way to a tunnel that connects to the sewers of the town. I ordered it specially constructed in case of emergencies. You should be there in no time at all, as it's basically a straight shot to the ticketing offices for the train."

"If that's the best option, then sure. Anything but going through the forest again… I'm still having nightmares about that."

"Then you'll need this." Bootler reached into his pocket and produced a very heavy looking weight. "This attaches to the chandelier in the main hall and reveals a secret passageway down to the cellars where the tunnel's entrance lies."

"That explains the bookcase moving to the chandelier and the strange door." I said.

"Yes. Well, if that is everything that needs to be discussed, I wish you all good health and safe travels. May the… you-know-which-spirits watch over you all on your journey." Lady Bow got up from her seat, cueing us that we should do the same.

"Thank you for that meal; I feel refreshed like I never have been before, ho what!" Toadsworth complimented.

"It was no trouble at all. Oh, by the way," she started as she made an 'ah-ha!' face, "if you ever end up in Poshley Heights, look for the Poshley Sanctum. There you'll find my contacts on that side of the world. They did give me trouble in the past, but it's all been settled and it's all in the past. I assure you that if you mention me and what your cause is for they will surely lend you a hand. They're the best Boos I know, besides Bootler."

"You're too kind, milady."

"Thanks for the advice, by boogity! We'll give them a holler as it were."

We said our good-byes and thank yous. Since we already knew where the chandelier was, it was expected of us to see ourselves out. After that meal, I wasn't sleepy anymore and was energetic enough to keep on moving. We all jumped through the painting and wandered back downstairs. Kory decided that since he was the one to test out the couch he should be the one to attach the weight. No one objected, so we let him go for it. He sat on that out of place brown cushion and sprang up onto the bottom of the chandelier, holding on for dear life again. It lowered and revealed the hidden doorway, just like before. Once fully lowered, I handed him the weight and he attached it. He let go, and lo and behold the bookcase stayed in place this time.

"Wahooo!" I cheered. "Now let's get out of here before we get spooked one last time."

We walked through the door and down the stairs towards the cellars. To the right of us, coming down those steps, was a large hole waiting for us at the foot. I led us through, and it didn't take us long to figure out that we might need a torch of some kind.

* * *

**Special after-chapter shout out to Child at Heart Forever for her KirBow pairing conceived in her most well-known work: Paper Mario X. Love ya, Child! =D**

**Also a huge thank you for everyone who has kept up with the story so far. I'm happy to have this much traffic! However, I'd appreciate some feedback on the story. A comment or so. Thank you again for reading!**


	11. Riverstomp

**Chapter 10: Riverstomp**

"Does anyone wanna go back and ask Lady Bow for a flashlight or something?" I asked, fearing that we'd be walking into trouble if we couldn't see just where we were going. I didn't want to go back and visit the Boos again; I had enough of being scared witless all night. Unfortunately no one volunteered, so it was me who had to backtrack a little bit to ask for some light. If only we had that Li'l Sparky that supposedly lives with the Shy Guys in their toy box. Despite years of searching for it, I never found it.

Luckily enough, Lady Bow was waiting at the top of the stairs leading back up. Needless to say she startled me anyway.

"Oh! Um, hi there." I exhaled.

"I was on my way to check if you were finding everything in order, but from your coming back it looks like there's something wrong?"

"Well yes and no. We found the tunnel just fine, but it's really dark. Do you have some flashlights or something that we could borrow? I don't wanna get us lost."

"Are the lights not working? Those electricians… I guess they never flipped the switch on for the lighting system. I'll go do that for you; wait right here." She disappeared right in front of me, no doubt teleporting. The simplicity of teleporting sounded really appealing right about then.

I walked back down the steps, getting a little exercise in for myself, and informed the guys all of what Lady Bow revealed to me. They agreed to wait a little extra time for the added security. After a few minutes, I heard in the distance a feint clanging noise. The others caught on to it as well, and before long we learned that it was the lights turning on. They were those huge fluorescent lights that hang from the ceiling of a school gym. With that kind of wattage, we wouldn't have any problems going through, is what I thought initially.

Lady Bow appeared right next to Toadbert, who was sitting on a crate in the corner of the room. "There you guys go. Everything should be in order now, so I'll leave you to your travels. Again, be safe and may the you-know-which-spirits watch over you." A few more good-byes later and we were now walking through the big portal opening to the tunnel. The lighting really did help us out in the end.

"I don't believe we properly welcomed you to our humble little group, Toadbert." Toadsworth said in an effort to strike up some conversation as we walked. "We are so glad to have you with us."

"Thanks, old chum. I'm thrilled to be here with you guys. It's been ages since I've been out and about on an adventure like this! The last time was twenty years ago, come to think of it."

"Well, we're glad to have you!" I cheered. "Isn't that right, Kory?"

"Sure." I rolled my eyes at his indifference; it wasn't too bothersome, so I let it go.

"Sadly, I do need a refresher with your names… please indulge a somewhat aged Toad."

"No problem! My name is Hope, and this is my friend Kory." I motioned to him. "If you want to know anything else, just feel free to ask. I feel we'll be walking for quite a while and it's a safe guess that we'll get bored easily."

He thanked me for the offer, but declined it for now. He said that if he thought of anything he would certainly ask it. I didn't have a watch on, but we continued on in silence for what felt like an hour or so. Those brown rounded walls that surrounded us were starting to fade in and out of my vision as we kept on walking; my senses were reeling, and the echoing of our footsteps on that wet concrete floor was driving me insane. And between you and me, I was beginning to regret requesting lighting for the tunnel. Squinting wasn't the best thing to do, but it helped reduce the brightness and making myself comfortable was a good enough reason to do it. I started getting uncomfortable with the no talking thing too, but then there was a new sound and it was coming from up ahead. As we continued forward, it grew louder.

"Um, guys?" Kory asked, breaking our vocal silence. "Do you hear that? It sounds like… it sounds like rushing water or something." It wouldn't be all too surprising, since we were walking in the sewer systems of the town, after all.

We finally reached the source of the loud water, and it ran a river across our path. It was wide enough for none of us to jump across and the swift current crossed swimming off of our list of possible ways to cross. We weren't going to test how deep it was, either. I groaned loud enough to have it echo over the water.

"Well this is a snag in our travels, by boogity… the worst part is that there doesn't seem to be a means of crossing it leftover from construction. No poles or ropes or long boards of wood. We're certainly up a creek without a paddle, ho ho ho!" Toadsworth joined in on Toadbert's joke with a giggle of his own. I have no comment on that joke, even years later. Kory, on the other hand, facepalmed.

"Quite the conundrum, eh what?" Toadsworth said. "I suppose plans for a bridge of some sort were left out as Boos can ultimately float over this with ease. We however, require extra help that we can't seem to find. It's too far to turn back around at this point; we've come so far already. Hope, do you see anything?"

"Uh… not yet?" I responded. I almost thought to ask Kory, but decided not to because of his little silent treatment. I kept looking around, trying to ignore the echoing annoyance. Toadbert had been right about everything so far. There were no supplies we could use to cross over. I almost stopped moving my head around, but then I saw it. A lone vine that hung down from a set of pipes from above.

"There!" I shouted over the water. I got everyone's attention with that and they all looked to where I was pointing. Sure enough, Toadbert had missed seeing that vine.

"By boogity, you've done it! Excellent work, Hope! All we have to do is swing across now. With the right momentum and velocity, I believe we can clear this pesky obstacle with ease." The good news was that it wasn't too far out from the dry-ish ground. We pulled it in towards us easily. Toadbert volunteered to try it out first to test if it was safe or not. He got a running start, jumped for lift-off, and swung straight ahead. At the exactly right moment, he let go and landed safely on the other side with a graceful tumble.

"See? It's fine! Now it's someone else's turn."

To my astonishment, Toadsworth decided to go next. His tenacity to perform physical feats with no complaints about being old is something I strive for whenever I get to be his age. He gripped that vine with all his might, somehow keeping his cane in his hand as well, and charged forward. I cringed and covered my eyes, afraid that he would fall.

Kory tapped me on the shoulder to tell me that everything was all right and he wasn't hurt. Soon after, still mute, he swung his way across with ease. The vine made a funny noise, but I figured that was normal for vines. They make funny noises when stretched out and stuff, right? He threw the vine back to me. I prepared myself mentally for this, and after I made my running start I jumped up. I was too nervous to let go and missed my chance to join them. I swung back all the way and then a little bit forward. It made that funny sound again; I looked up and saw that it was tearing! Preparing for my imminent fall, I tensed up real tight.

"HOPE!" Kory called out. I didn't open my eyes to see what he was doing to make a lot of noise, but he was doing whatever it was in vain as the vine snapped and sent me falling into the waters below. I thought I'd fall below the water level, but instead I ended up hurting my tailbone as I fell straight onto the floor. I did make a bit of a splash that got me all wet. I spat all the water off of my mouth and straightened my locks of hair back behind me where they belong. There was hacking and coughing for a good few seconds, until I finally opened my eyes to see Kory holding out a long pole he must have found on the other side of the 'river,' just staring at me with his mouth agape and speechless. That time I understood why he didn't say a word.

"Um—" started Toadsworth.

"NO." I cut him off abruptly. "Don't you say a word about this."

I was livid at this point, and used that anger to power myself to get up from my embarrassing position and strut across the water. They all spun, their focus on me as I walked past them.

"Are you—?"

"AH."

And that was the end of talking for another good half hour. I continued to drip the sewer water off of me as we all walked ever forward. My shoes now squished along with echoed. We eventually came across a peculiar looking table with many plans spread across it. One of them was a blueprint with a design for an entire town labeled 'Decalburg.' The weird thing is that it was abandoned; I remember it was marked up with a huge red Xs and cross outs.

"Huh… I wonder why they decided to abandon this project. And why it's in the middle of the sewer systems."

"Decalburg…" Toadsworth pondered. "It rings a slight bell. I believe the princess commissioned such a town for a grand festival commemorating the arrival of the Sticker Comet. I suppose it goes without saying that this astronomical occurrence is one of the few that has escaped the Mushroom Kingdom unscathed."

"Well I don't blame them for leaving it here." Kory commented. "Who'd want to celebrate the power of stickers? Sounds really dumb to me."

We left it exactly the way it was, in case someone wanted to come back and retrieve the plans one day. I've never gone back to check, but I'm willing to bet that they're still there decaying and disintegrating into dust. Or they've been washed up.

We finally began to hear the excited chattering of a crowd hundreds of yards ahead. I started to perk up at that discovery, and walked with even more flair. Surely it was true: The train station was waiting at the end of the tunnel, and I could even make out the red steam engine waiting for its passengers to board. I started to get giddy, I'll admit. Slowly I became who I was before falling into the shallowest river known.

"Guys! The train station! We made it with time to spare!"

And then I froze.

"Oh Underwhere, I just thought of something."

"What is it, Hope?" Toadbert asked. "Perhaps there's something I can do to help that?"

"Well, you know how Toadsworth, Kory, and I are all wanted fugitives and stuff? We can't exactly go up to the ticket booth and buy our tickets."

"That's easy, you just have me do that. No one knows who I am," he reassured.

"But what about boarding? We don't have disguises this time." Toadsworth stopped dead in his tracks as I said that.

"She has an excellent point. What shall we do?" Toadbert looked around fervently for something. I couldn't tell exactly what it was until he found it. "Toadbert, you've come through yet again. Newspapers are an excellent way to hide ourselves!"

"I could only find the one though, so we'll have to get more copies up at the desk. Hope, how much are tickets?" I told him. "And newspapers?" I gave him that price too. "Good, now does anyone have that kind of money?" I reluctantly pulled them out from my supply. "Thank you. I'll return momentarily!"

That he did with four tickets and two additional newspapers. I remember the front page vividly: Crude sketches of me, Kory, and Toadsworth under a caption of 'TERRORISTS IN TOAD TOWN' and the story ran on the entire front page. It gave me shivers that someone considered me something of a terrorist, and the poor depiction of us wasn't helping much either. I looked much better than that!

"Wow, Dark Bowser sure isn't joking around with us. He really means business."

"There's no time for that, Kory! The morning commuter train leaves in five minutes, so we have to hurry if we want to catch it on time." We all took that seriously and ran after Toadbert. Lucky him, not having to hide his face behind a newspaper. I was slightly jealous of him in that moment, able to freely do what he wanted without having to hide himself. That feeling passed as we all queued up to board the train.

Kory was first of us three fugitives, and I have to tell you that I was starting to worry even more. He was a human, and being the only human that's also a fugitive of the law is something really hard to hide yourself from. When the conductor let him on through without a question, I let out a heavy sigh of relief. Toadsworth was next and he was allowed on easily after his ticket had been punched. And then it was my turn.

"Ticket?" he asked. Not looking out from my newspaper, I handed it to him.

"Ya know… you're the third person in a row who's done this today." I could feel him getting closer, inspecting the newspaper. "And that's not even today's paper. Did you miss this one from a few years ago?"

"Uh…" I said, disguising my voice by deepening it quite a bit. "Well, you know how it is. You miss one newspaper and you're suddenly behind in everything."

"I see." He said plainly. "…Then explain why you're all wet. It's not raining outside and that paper is dry."

Fuck, that conductor had an eye for detail!

"Well, you see… I, uh… Sleepwalked into my, uh, pool this morning. Yeah. And then I realized I was late for work and I did not have time to change clothes."

"You slept in your clothes?"

"Would you if you had a commute by train?"

"Very well." That hole punch was the sweetest sound to me that day. "If you want, there's a private bathroom with a shower and some towels close to the back of the train if you want to clean yourself up. I can go reserve it for you if you'd like."

"That would be great, thanks." I gave a deep laugh and then stepped on board. He called all aboard, and when no one came rushing for the train he gave the all clear to the engineer to start the engine. I can imagine the wheels shifting on the rails, trying to pull all of those carriages, and then finally sticking and proceeding forward. The jerk of the train cars also told me that, I remember.

I ventured through the cabins to find my party, and by sheer coincidence they were in the compartment next to the private bathroom with the shower that the conductor told me about when boarding.

"You made it! I was starting to get worried." Kory got up out of his seat and gave me a warm hug. He didn't seem to care that I was still wet with sewage all over me or that I smelled like a Dried Shroom.

"Yes I made it, but I'm cold and wet and tired and I'm going to go take a shower and come back for a well-deserved nap." Looking back, I didn't realize how harsh I had been to him, nor had I seen the sympathetic faces Toadsworth and Toadbert gave Kory after I completely gave him the, quite literal, cold shoulder. I guess it's too late to apologize for that now, so I shan't worry about that.

The shower was nice and the temperature control was perfect. There was no differing between Lavalava Island and the Crystal Palace; it was a perfect Ricco Harbor kind of temperature. It was a blessing to get all that gunk off of me. It did make me even sleepier than I had been in the mansion, so right after I got dressed I kept to my word and slept on one of the seats. They all followed my lead, and we slept our way to the badlands where Old Bowser's Castle stood empty and in need of housewarming.


End file.
